


Memories Aflame

by Decido



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga), Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Live Action TV)
Genre: Drama, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-07-19 02:44:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 32,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19966747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Decido/pseuds/Decido
Summary: After an absence of four years, Rei is returning to the Hikawa Shrine. She is faced with the task of rebuilding her home and what is left of her personal relationships. Meanwhile, thriving pop idol Minako is more concerned with moving on rather than confronting old flames. Can Rei find a path back to her friends or will a past life steal away her current one? A Reinako story.





	1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello everyone! This fic was previously published under the name “Memoria Amore”; however, it was sadly abandoned after some major life events hit. Since then, I’ve moved to another country, learned a new language, gotten married, and started my own illustration business! Now that I’m in a much better state of mind, I’m ready to give it another shot.

Lastly, I am pulling bits and pieces from both the anime and manga series as well as PGSM. Please note, I have not watched or read any of the material for several, several, years. There may be some inconsistencies, but hopefully not too many!

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own anything related to the Sailor Moon franchise and create no profit from making this fanfiction. It exists for the sole purpose of entertaining myself and other fans.

* * *

**Chapter: One**

  
When she arrived at her destination, the sun had long set and a certain stillness froze the air around her. It was a stillness that only owls and insomniacs, she assumed, were familiar with; and yet Rei felt a certain peace within the repose. Everything seemed to lay exactly how she had left it so many years ago except for a tall, and somewhat overly aggressive, cast-iron gate entwined with a gaudy chain and lock forbidding entry to the Hikawa Shrine. Noticing no signs of rust, she could only guess it had been installed recently.

Rei Hino sat on the curb straddling her black Yamaha, hand in her jacket pocket nervously fingering the key her father had mailed off earlier that week. Takashi Hino, or more likely his legal secretary, elegantly wrote that after much deliberation regarding the matter of Grandpa’s will and its authenticity, she had indeed inherited the Hikawa Shrine – along with all its financial rights and responsibilities. Regrettably, Mr. Hino would be unable to care for the property in her stead beyond the end of the current month and asks that she responds promptly with a decision on whether she would accept and maintain responsibility. Also enclosed were various legal documents for her to sign, should she decide to claim ownership of the property and its entitlements.

Initially, Rei had become furious while reading her father’s lengthy “deliberation of the matter regarding Grandpa’s will”, because even though she did not follow in her father’s footsteps to practice law and politics, she knew damn well that four years were more than necessary to determine who the Hikawa Shrine were to be passed to. The single remedy to her slow burning anger was the hidden message that only Takashi himself and his daughter would be able to translate, and that was essentially him blatantly stating “you can have it, I’m tired of paying for it, and if you don’t want it, I’ll give it to the prefecture and slap a historical site plaque on it to keep it from getting bulldozed.” Feeling trapped and unwilling to allow her beloved shrine to fall into the care of strangers, the former priestess immediately began making travel arrangements for Tokyo.

She took a deep breath, shook her hair from her helmet and approached the locked gate. It only took a few seconds of scraping the key against the bottom of the lock before it slipped in and allowed her a satisfying “click”. Unfortunately, she underestimated how heavy the chain was and did not catch it in time, resulting in an obnoxiously loud crash, shattering her piece of mind and sending her heart rate fluttering. Wincing and recovering from her moment of clumsiness, she slowly began the long but familiar tread up the seemingly infinite number of stone steps. Every step was draining. Every step ignited a memory. A memory of such coarse, raw sorrow that when trying to pull on its string, she became lost in a mental haze.

Rei recalled that it were only a few days after her grandfather had died and the loss was still very fresh on her mind and heart. She originally had every intention of maintaining her duties to the shrine and kept up with her chores diligently, denying her soul the opportunity to wallow in grief. An occupied mind and body was how she overcame her mother’s death, her father’s abandonment, and the alienation of her classmates in grammar school. Grieving, she had thought, would bring her nothing but wasted time and keeping busy was her only way of keeping sane.  
Life was quickly finding its normal groove again, that is, until that following Sunday evening. Rei had moved with the repetitive motions of preparing tea and when she was finished she noticed that, by habit, she held two cups on the serving tray. One for her, and unintentionally, one for her deceased grandfather.

Suddenly, it was as if she was a fresh trainee who was so used to flying on autopilot, that when the programed function suddenly crashed, she could do nothing but panic. The loss had festered long enough inside her gut, that its poison came retching out of her, and for the first time in Rei Hino’s adult life, she didn’t know how to handle herself. She not only felt the same wave of despair that hollowed her heart when her mother had passed, but also the fiery hatred she held for her father when he couldn’t bear to look at her anymore.

As she climbed the shrine steps, Rei still couldn’t remember how she managed through that night. She could not recall how all the shattered porcelain came to be. All she remembered was that upon waking and reentering the kitchen, merely hours before dawn, she quickly cleaned and disposed of the mess and promptly relocated far away to her mother’s old property in Kazuno. The nine hour commute was plenty of time to set her affairs in order with her bank and job. It was when she arrived in her new dwellings later that night, she noticed the many cuts on her hands and forearms – an indication of how hastily she cleaned the mess. Rei never made it to the reading of her Grandfather’s will.

Having finally climbed the steps through the thorns of memories, a guilty consciousness wiggled and squirmed in Rei’s chest. Lifting her head to catch a breath she saw how her neglect of the temple reflected over the years on dirty stone steps. Her shrine… her Grandfather’s pride was far from how she had left it. Weeds had sprouted where gravel had once evenly coated the ground, many stone lanterns were dirtied from bird excrements and weathered badly, and old blankets were littered under the cherry blossom trees. Rei had guessed that even though the windows and doors were barred on all of the buildings, many homeless took the grounds as a form of refuge until finally her father had the metal gate installed to keep outsiders from going beyond the stone wall entryway. She did feel a small sense of solace knowing that for a time, the shrine did find a way to serve those who were suffering in some manner. There was no vandalism to speak of and that in itself was a relief.

Her shoes crunched against dead foliage and old gravel, making their way instinctively to the humble temple that housed the sacred fire. Luckily, the same key fit nicely into the barred gate; however, it was not as new as the large gate at the entrance. For a moment Rei feared she would not be able go forward, due to the unforgiving rust coating the bars, but, after several attempts of shaking and shoving her shoulder against the bars, the gate opened with great success.

Rubbing her arm, the fire senshi glanced around the dark room but ultimately couldn’t determine the overall condition of the space. If the smell was any indication, she guessed possible water damage and enough bacteria, fungi, and mildew for an impressive biological science experiment. Her investigation came to a halt, hearing something scratching against the wooden floor.  
Please don’t let it be a rat, she prayed to the powers that be and slowly turned towards the perpetrator that, to be frank, was freaking her the fuck out.  
  
When she finally distinguished the silhouette, her eyes widened with delight. There they were, a pair of black-as-night crows. To some, their glinting eyes would have been more far more frightening than creeping rat, but to Rei, there were few sights that made her feel safer, because she knew – knew – those were not just any birds. They were her birds!

Rei rushed out to greet them, both birds flapping and soaring into the air. She extended her hand in welcome. Deimos immediately took his place, situating his talons carefully in the crook of her thumb and forefinger; however, Phobos landed on the roof of the shrine. Rei found this behavior rather odd, if not a tad bit insulting.  
Clearly somebody was upset with her leave of absence.

“Phobos,” Rei began as she absently stroked Deimos’s feathers. It was rare that she ever spoke to them aloud. Then again, it wasn’t as if she had many opportunities to speak with anyone, during the years she’d been away. Though the conversation would be one-sided, she still welcomed it.

“What if I say it wasn’t you, it was me?” she gave the bird a sheepish smile.

The crow’s reply was to turn his back on her…only to shit right over the ledge of the temple roof and take flight into the black early morning sky with Deimos shortly following. Rei rolled her eyes in response to his bad attitude. Phobos was always the snarkier of the two. She gazed across the temple grounds and again noticed the bird excrement on the stone lanterns.

“Phobos…” she grumbled as the other bird took flight, circling above her, “if I ever find out that you’re the one responsible for the condition of those lanterns, I’m going to adopt a feral cat.”

An hour or so had passed since arriving, and exhaustion had finally caught up with her. Rei’s shoulders slouched forward, her muscles ached, and she felt emotionally spent. She glanced back one last time towards the dark room that once held the familiar, but now sadly extinguished, sacred fire -- wanted nothing more than to rekindle the flame that once so easily calmed her frayed emotion. Feeling only slightly defeated by the shrine’s condition, Rei shuffled towards the only location that seemed to be undamaged. Deeper into the trees, she maneuvered over roots overgrown weeds until finally happening upon the familiar scent of cherry blossoms.

Kicking aside one of the few tattered blankets strewn along the yard, the former priestess situated herself near the base of the tree; it was the same location she always managed to find herself sitting when troubled. Perhaps here she would be able to comfortably wait out until sunrise. Rei wasn’t quite sure what she should do next. Certainly she hadn’t expected her old home to be in perfect running order, but she also didn’t expect it to have been so neglected either.

“Sunrise.” She murmured tiredly, closing her eyes. Then she would be able to gather a better understanding of the property damages, find a proper place to stay, and -- if she was really lucky - avoid further unpleasant memories. She laid her head back onto the rough surface of the tree, her mind drifting, wondering if any of the stars shining tonight were planet Mars…

* * *

  
_The barren wasteland was appropriate, for it was exactly how she felt. Her light had been stolen from her and her ideals were stripped. What was the point of duty and honor when death takes the cowardly all the same? But death… death should have spared her light! Her golden Aphrodite whom she knew could do no wrong!_

_**But she did do wrong… she left you to die alone.** _

_The warrior knew that wasn’t true, that her lover and friends were simply gone before her own falling, but the emptiness replaced the sorrow, allowing her to process the loneliness better. She had felt every one of them leave and could not resist the comforting darkness which had already begun to dull her senses. It was familiar to how her mother used to wrap her in the finest fur hides, warming her during Martian winters._

_**Hand me your burden child, and you will feel no more.** _

_No longer could she hear the sounds of destruction, a sound only those too familiar with war could distinguish. No, all she could hear were the howling wind, slicing down what few structures still remained and perhaps her failing heartbeat, though one could argue it was another war drum; she neither knew nor care._

_The Lunar Republic had long been decimated. Her vision was failing now and she pondered on how even though she saw it all coming, none of it was preventable. She thought of the guardian of time and wondered if she finally understood the helplessness Sailor Pluto felt day-to-day, knowing the happy faces surrounding her were soon to be destroyed. Not that it mattered anymore, but what was the point of fighting if the outcome was already written in the stars?_

_**Enough of this, warrior. Would you elude peace to mull over such triviality?** _

_A sharp pain tightened her chest but was quickly replaced buy another warm enveloping sensation._

_**Do you not see what I offer you?** _

_The would-be heir of the Martian Empire silently wept. She wanted, no, needed her obnoxiously diplomatic, far too confident leader to guide her through this. Regrets of too many words left unsaid, and too many lost opportunities flooded her soul all at once and she cursed death for not taking her sooner. She cursed life for having ever allowing her to know love._

_**Is this the burden you wish eradicated from your soul?** _

_Sailor Mars, a superb warrior whom had never known the taste of true defeat, finally gave in. A foreign black muddle flooded her heart and drowned her with the most intoxicating sense of peace she had ever known._

* * *

  
Rei abruptly woke to the sound of twigs snapping a short distance away, berating herself for not locking the gate behind her when she entered the shrine earlier that morning. She groggily snapped to her feat, blaming her lack of sleep and a far too bright sun for the splitting headache she was currently experiencing – her solemn dream long forgotten. Trying to focus on the situation at hand she began scanning the wooded area around her. The young woman wanted nothing more than to be able to summon her flaming sniper…

“Rei-chan?” Came a small, feminine whisper closer than she had expected.

To her utter surprise, there stood the moon princess herself… erm… queen she supposed considering the small pink tuft of hair that was adorning the small child balanced on the blonde’s hip. Both mother and child sported the ever eccentric odango styled hair. Rei was too dumbfounded to speak; though she knew a reunion with her fellow senshi was inevitable, she currently had no contingency plan in place.

“Rei-chan!” Usagi Tsukino, perhaps the loudest person she knew, yelled enthusiastically, “You’re back!”

Usagi began giddily bounding towards her, causing Rei to worry for poor Chibi-Usa’s safety. It is well known amongst the senshi and Mamoru how clumsy Usagi is so for the little princess’s safety, Rei smoothly navigated her way closer to Usagi, but she would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that it was a small comfort seeing a familiar human face.  
“Good mor—“ Rei’s greeting was cut short.

“Rei-chan, you look horrible! Did you sleep out here? I saw you sleeping!” Usagi accused, evidently more worried about the girl’s appearance more so than her toddler’s habit of pulling one of her own tails of hair. “Oh! Here,” Usagi carefully weaved her hair out of the babe’s fingers and held the child out before Rei.

“W-what?” It was all too much for Rei to take in. She expected an argument to ensue regarding her long hiatus and even began formulating tactics to soften any blows the odango-head had planned to dish out. She did not expect Usagi to concern herself with Rei’s bad case of bed head. Yet, before her stood an expectant Usagi and exceptionally skeptical Chibi-Usa. Rei gingerly took the confused babe into her arms, wondering where all this was leading to.

Usagi smiled excitedly; Rei had never seen her more pleased other than when she described her dates with Mamoru during their teen years. “There,” Usagi stated triumphantly, “Now Chibi-Usa has been held by ALL of her aunties!”

Chibi-Usa, on the other hand, did not look the least bit amused. The babe had tucked her little fists close to her chest and fat tears began to well in her big eyes.

“Please take her.” The words tumbled out of Rei’s mouth before she could even process them. Normally she handled children just fine, as she had experience with several different children volunteering at the Hikawa Shrine. Crying babies; however, was not her forte. She even avoided them on the train whenever the need to travel arose.

Usagi sighed and rolled her eyes, “Well she hasn’t gotten to know you yet.” She took her child back in her arms and completely ignored Rei’s incredulous stare. “Rei-chan isn’t as mean as she seems, I promise.” Usagi cooed to her baby, who was immediately please to be out of a stranger’s arms.

Usagi continued to smile at Rei and though Rei was sure Usagi couldn’t feel it, the tension was getting to her and she reacted the only way she knew.

“So trespassing on private property is a new hobby of yours, neh?” Rei stated blandly but meant well all the same.

A perfectly rehearsed pout graced the queen’s lips, “The gate was open. Who else would be here?”

Rei could come up with a small band of names and figures but decided it would be best not to press the issue. She looked at Chibi-Usa, once again preoccupied with her mother’s lock of hair, sounding some nonsense baby language adoringly. Guilt and a strange feeling of loss overwhelmed her again, “Usa… I-I’m sorry for not…being here when—“

“No.” Usagi said. The finality of her statement startled Rei. It was a rare occasion, seeing the normally boisterous woman acting so serious. “You have been gone for far too long, it’s true,” a warm smile stretched across her lips, “but I will not accept any apologies. Let’s just focus on us being happy and together now.”

Strangely enough, Rei fought her eyes from watering. Again, it was all just too much. It was as if they were teenagers again. Rei with her walls of apprehension and Usagi with her need to crash right through every one of them. She returned Usagi’s smile with every bit of warmth she could manage, having slept only a few hours on the cold-hardened ground, “Alright then, no apologies. Though I think you owe me one for startling me.” She countered in good humor.

Sticking her tongue out and winking in her usual fashion, “You’re being mean again!”

“What can I say, you bring out the worst in me.” Rei teased.

“Ha!” Usage mocked. The abrupt sound caused Chibi-Usa to look at her mother quizzically, “You and I both know that Minako holds that record.”

Absently, Rei nodded, not particularly wishing to get into a conversation about the other blonde….

Stretching, Rei yawned and felt the last bit of her adrenaline seep away. Yes, she made it to daylight one way or another, but she was far too tired to assess the damages littering the Shrine now.

Thinking about what a chore it all was going to be just made her want to crawl back beneath the tree branches and sleep it all away.

Noticing her friend’s exhaustion, Usagi asked, “Why were you sleeping out here anyways? I never knew you for the camping-under-the-stars type.”

“I just got in really late and wanted to hang around until daylight to properly check on the place,” Rei stated nonchalantly. It was mostly the truth, but she did leave out her need to answer some unknown stream of consciousness inside of her that demanded she immediately return. As far as she was concerned, it was not “save the world” worthy and not worth mentioning to Usagi, who would most likely pry further than Rei would care for. ”I was hoping it was in better shape, but I clearly won’t be staying here again tonight.” She laughed.

“Then you’ll stay with us!” Usagi announced, her eyes sparkling like they did when she used to suggest all night study sessions, or as they actually were, sleep over parties during the time of their youth. “Mamo-chan would be delighted to see you again!”

Rei nervously laughed in response, trying to mentally shove away a memory of a certain pair of hyperactive blondes having a karaoke throw down on a not-so-appropriate night before sophomore midterms. All of their grades dropped at least slightly… Ami didn’t speak to them for weeks as retribution. “I was actually just going to check into a hotel…”

A terrible glint showed in Usagi’s eyes, “Rei-chan, I said I would have no apologies from you” she spoke almost as if she were handing her a legal deal, “but if you do wish to explain yourself and your absence, and I promise I won’t ask, then you will accept my offer.”

Now, normally Rei would stand her ground and graciously decline the offer, her stubbornness was legendary amongst the senshi after all, but she was just so damn tired… Her head was pounding and felt full of rocks while her muscles were protesting even more after having slept on the lumpy ground. All of this on top of truly wanting to not discuss her long absence… well, this get out of jail free card maybe wasn’t a bad idea after all.

Giving a defeated sigh, a sigh which she noticed Usagi enjoying far too much, Rei mumbled “Alright. But can we keep this quiet for now?”

“But everyone—“ Usagi began, looking confused and concerned, but Rei interrupted her with a reassuring smile.

“And we’ll all have a big party… but just not now ok? I just need time to… process.” Rei motioned at the rubble surrounding them, “This condition is a little much for me to bear right now, yeah?”

The idea of a party returned the light in Usagi’s eyes. Rei tried not to cringe at what could possibly be going through Usagi’s mind. “I’ll be the best secret keeper there is, Rei-chan! Chibi-Usa won’t say a word either!”

Not that she could if she tried, Rei thought, listening to the child’s made up words.

“Alright, then. Lead the way.” Rei said, following the peppy steps of the woman in front of her, knowing very well that Usagi had never successfully kept a secret in all the time she had known the girl.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you everyone for your lovely comments and support! I promise things will start picking up soon ;)

**Chapter: Two**

Only a few short hours had passed since they arrived at the Tsukino-Chiba household; Rei had already washed and retired to the guest bedroom leaving Usagi with only Chibi-Usa keeping her company. Usagi simply could not believe one of her closest friends had suddenly appeared out of the blue. She was beaming with excitement, and desperately wanted someone to share her excitement with and unfortunately her little pink princess was not quite ready to fulfill such tasks yet. On the other hand, she was determined to keep the promise she had made to Rei, not wanting to spook her friend away after having only just arrived. Still… it didn't stop her from wanting to burst. Oh, how she hated having to keep secrets!

Usagi stopped her pacing and crouched next to Chibi-Usa, who was affectionately playing with a Luna-look-a-like plushy, to calm her excitement and racing thoughts. She remembered the cat guardian herself picking out the toy for her baby, though, Usagi was pretty sure it was less of a kind gesture and more a way of keeping the babe from constantly grabbing the feline's tail, ears and whiskers. There was definitely no need to contribute more to the small army of stuffed animals which already littered every room of the house.

Watching her little princess play always seemed to calm her a bit. There were times when Usagi never thought these peaceful days would come. Days where she could watch Chibi-Usa growing and hopefully inheriting Mamoru's more logical characteristics over her own whimsical personality. But… if the child's toy preferences were any indication… the results weren't favorable. Usagi grabbed the boldly colored abacus, a gift Ami had purchased for Chibi-Usa a few months back, and desperately tried to get the small girl interested in the educational toy, even though Usagi personally doubted whether an abacus should be considered a means of entertainment at all…

Oh no… Ami…

Usagi rushed to her pink and white smartphone, located on the sofa laying just out of reach from Chibi-Usa's inquisitive little hands, and quickly scrolled through her calendar. To her dismay, she noticed a notification of an overdue appointment. Chibi-Usa was due her second set of vaccinations from the doctor. Rei's appearance had completely side tracked her! She quickly punched in Ami's personal cell number, already formulating the sweetest apology she could think of. One she reserved for only special occasions.

Ami answered after two rings, "Hello Usagi, did you manage to sleep in again?"

Feeling a little indignant at the, albeit, understandable accusation, Usagi welcomed the excuse. "Yes. It was so chilly this morning and my warm bed just wouldn't let me leave." She laughed nervously. "I really am sorry, when would you like to reschedule? You pick when this time."

Ami laughed with good nature, "Well, I appreciate your apology, but I had a suspicion this would happen. So, I've rescheduled the appointment for 10:30 today."

"That's only in a few minutes!" Usagi squeaked. It was a silly thought, but she was afraid if she had left the house, Rei would no longer be present upon her return. Who knows when she would next see her? The fire senshi's appearance was like stumbling on a rare 75% off shoe sale; it was an opportunity of which she refused to let it slip through her fingers. "It'll take me a little bit to get Chibi-Usa ready, but we could make it to the hospital in a few hours…" She hoped her friend would reconsider.

"No, I wouldn't put that burden on you Usa." Usagi felt relief but only for a second. "I'm on my way to your house now."

"Y-you are?" The odango head tried her best to not sound panicked. She was at a cross between wanting to barricade the door to the guest bedroom, where Rei was sleeping, or madly dash about the house picking up baby toys and dirtied coffee cups. "But don't you have other appointments today? I live pretty out of the way." She negotiated, biting her lip nervously.

"Like I said, I had a sneaking suspicion you would mysteriously not make it today, so I temporarily shifted some of my patients over to the other doctors on duty today." Ami patiently explained. Before Usagi could counter, Ami quickly stated, "Look, I'm almost at your door now. We'll see each other soon."

The line died and Usagi was in full panic mode. What was going to happen if Rei woke up and saw Ami prowling around? In all actuality, Usagi knew Ami was only going to stay long enough to administer Chibi-Usa's booster shot and maybe get around to a small check-up. Yet, she still couldn't shake the image of a nasty, fire-breathing Rei calling her a "promise breaking odango head". The horrible daydream stopped short as there came a knocking at the door, startling both her and her pink haired princess.

Usagi scooped her babe up from the soft plush carpet she was playing contently on and opened the door, allowing Ami entrance to her home.

Ami greeted both them both with a smile. She was still wearing the white coat Usagi became accustomed to seeing her in after Ami had completed her residency and specialty requirements. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you were dreading this vaccine more so than Chibi-Usa." The doctor pinched Chibi-Usa's nose gently, only to be awarded with giggles.

Usagi transferred Chibi-Usa to Ami's waiting arms, following the two towards the kitchen, where she assumed Ami was planning to set up shop. She didn't know if she was more nervous about the pyro sleeping in the guest room or her baby having to endure another needle. The child was slightly over due for her second shot, but the little girl's fat tears and screams of "mah mah maaa!" was ingrained in her memory from the first appointment. As a result… well let's just say Usagi may or may not have invented excuses to reschedule this long awaited appointment on three different occasions.

Ami sat the baby atop the center island's cool granite counter, causing Chibi-Usa just a slight bit of discomfort as it came in contact with her skin. Usagi had the girl adorned in the cutest pair of lime green shorts and a white top decorated with a pattern of adorable orange slices. There was something so uncomfortable about seeing her cute little daughter playing with Ami's harsh metal stethoscope next to a bag of, what Usagi dubbed, were child torture devices.

"She's going to remember you as the evil Auntie Ami, ya know?" Usagi couldn't help but pout.

Ami must have sensed her apprehension and graciously ignored her comment, "Can you find Lune?"

The odd request for the stuffed cat distracted Usagi from her funk, "Lune? What for?"

"If we can distract Chibi-Usa long enough for me to administer the vaccination, she may not even notice she's had the shot." Ami calmly explained, never once breaking her hypnotizing entertainment schemes, which Usagi had to admit, seemed to have completely enthralled her daughter. A teasing slyness then entered Ami's voice, "Or would you have Lune occupy yourself instead, since Mamoru hasn't returned from his business venture yet?"

Usagi scowled at the jibe. She childishly blew a raspberry in response, Chibi-Usa immediately copying and giggling at the gesture and went to go retrieve the stuffed cat from where Chibi-Usa was previously playing. It's true, the only reason she hadn't snatched her child from the doctor last time was because her husband was standing by her side, whispering reassuring words in her ear and stroking her hand as she watched. She had felt as though she betrayed her daughter's innocent trust.

As Ami began rummaging through her medical bag and while her daughter was still having a ball with the stethoscope, Usagi eased her way over to the room where Rei resided. She creaked the door open, hoping to warn Rei of the small invasion currently happening on her kitchen island. Unfortunately, the other woman was still fast asleep, facing away from her wearing nothing but a grey undershirt and maroon sweats. Usagi wondered if she should have given Rei a fan before she fell asleep; the room was a little warm and the many quilts Usagi provided her were folded neatly on a chair in the corner of the room.

"Rei…" Usagi whispered. She didn't want to wake the girl and had no idea if Rei was keen on being woken by panicking, clumsy blondes but it seemed the best idea at the time. "Rei!" She tried again, but only marginally louder this time.

"Usagi!" Ami called from the kitchen, though evidently not enough to stir the sleeping girl as she continued her soft, even breathing. "Did you find Lune? I'm ready to start."

Torn between what she should do, Usagi frantically glanced between the sleeping Rei and an impatient Ami. Softly closing the door, Usagi returned to the pair, stuffed cat in hand, and plastered on the most innocent smile she could manage. "Found it." She situated herself next to the doctor and began wiggling the toy in front of her unsuspecting victim-child. "Is this good, Ami-chan?"

"You're both doing great." Ami said brightly, readying the syringe. "Just keep her focused on you. Let's hope she hasn't inherited mommy's attention span." Usagi felt that last part could have been left out. Maybe her repetitive no-shows had annoyed the young doctor more than she'd thought.

To her great surprise and relief, the entire procedure was over before she even knew it had begun. Ami's skills were no joke; she moved quickly and effectively, already applying a brightly colored adhesive bandage. With any luck, Ami would be returning to her hospital duties and Rei would find that she indeed was the best secret keeper ever. Score!

Then, to Usagi's utter horror, Chibi-Usa had noticed the bold yellow bandage freshly placed on her shoulder and distinctly recognized the syringe Ami was just now placing into a disposable biohazard baggie. _No, no, no…_ Usagi wiggled the toy cat frantically in front of the child's face and even threw in a silly voice to boot but it was too late. The pink haired cutie turned into a little monster, taking poor Lune and throwing her an impressive few feet away. And so the crying started… not just any crying, but a howling, or wailing, ensued. Only few were able to console Chibi-Usa when she tumbled down this path, Usagi and Mamoru being the only two experts currently known to mankind.

"WHAAaaaa! Maahh…" The little girl thrashed, throwing anything her tiny palms could acquire. Usagi personally thought Ami was fortunate, only having to dodge a salt shaker. Imagine what could have happened if they were situated next to the silverware drawer…

The expert that is Ami was hardly phased, probably due to the number of children she endured on a daily basis. She calmly packed her bag and rummaged for the traditional sweet to assist calming the little beast down. "Well," referencing her attempt at a peaceful resolution, "it was worth a try, I suppose."

Usagi was bouncing her child gently on her hip, speaking the sweetest nothings she could think of. "Come on princess, Auntie Ami had to." She then added quietly, "But if you ever remember this, remember I couldn't stop her."

Ami must have heard her because she rolled her eyes before handing the child some baby friendly sweets. Chibi-Usa took them eagerly, but not before eyeing the doctor suspiciously. She sniffled between tiny bites.

"Well, I'm glad we finally got that over with," Ami said while gathering her bag. Usagi could feel that victory was in sight. "We should finish up the shot series in three months but until then—"

"Usagi…" Came a tired voice just now entering the kitchen, "Is everything ok? I heard—"

Amethyst eyes met ocean blue and Usagi hung her head in defeat, because all hopes of victory had now been shattered in less than a second. If the past was any proof as to how Rei would react, she knew for a fact that the pyro would see her lack of promise keeping skills as an act of treason. The battle, sadly, was lost.

* * *

Rei could _feel_ the gears spinning in Ami's head. First shock, then disbelief, and last… was it anger? Whatever emotions Ami was feeling, a calm mask had eased her features and Rei stilled her own emotions to match. She always thought of Ami as the wild card, never really knowing what would push her over the edge from annoyance to anger.

"R-Rei, I…" Usagi was still holding a sniffling Chibi-Usa.

"Were you hiding her?" Ami asked Usagi incredulously, clearly trying to make sense of it all.

"I asked her to." Rei started but quickly corrected herself, "Not to 'hide' me but… I just wasn't ready to face a crowd –"

"A crowd? After all we've been through—"

"—and Usagi happened upon me at the shrine so I asked her to—"

"Why would you place on her a weight like that? She has a child to care for and—"

The cutoff battle ended due to an abrupt noise the now calmed Chibi-Usa made. She clearly was not enjoying herself and their bickering wasn't helping.

"I… I'm going to take her to the other room… If that's alright." Usagi muttered pathetically, her defeated tone breaking Rei's heart. Rei felt fully responsible for Usagi's gloom and wished she could take back her request. Hell, she'd have karaoke night every night for as long as Usagi wanted if it would bring back the girl's pep. She didn't want to be responsible this. Fuck, she didn't want to even be capable of causing such a stir.

"Usagi," Ami must have been feeling the same as Rei, because she was no longer sharp, but calm and welcoming, "it's your home. You never have to ask permission to do anything here, you know that." Ami added a soft laugh at the end of her response. Rei knew she was trying to lighten the air around them.

It didn't work; Usagi simply nodded her head and shuffled into the living area, avoiding eye contact with either woman.

This was not how Rei wanted things to turn out at all. She wanted her return to Tokyo to affect everyone's lives as little as possible and yet somehow, she had managed to do the exact opposite. Yet as angry with herself as she was, she felt no ill feelings towards Usagi. Still, she was unable to reassure Usagi - she just couldn't bring herself to. _I'm always letting everyone walk away_ …

"I'm going to save us both some time." Ami cut through Rei's train of thought. "Do you even plan on telling me why you left to begin with?" Though calmer, there was still plenty of bite in Ami's words. She was certainly much bolder than the young girl she'd met when they were both sporting sailor fukus. Was it that Ami was finally coming into her own, or a forced transition from working in a dominantly male career field? _Not like I was here to know either way,_ Rei thought bitterly. Was it truly that big of a mistake to leave?

Rei motioned to her bag, "I don't want to keep you from your other clients –"

"Are you really going to avoid the question?" Ami's impatience was stinging to Rei.

"No." She said, maybe a little too forcefully. "I ask because you want answers. Because… the answers you want aren't simple for me to explain and, to be honest, I'm not even sure I know what the answers are right now." The words came tumbling out before she could dress them any better. "I admit, this conversation is not something I ever wanted to have, with myself or anybody for that matter," Rei swallowed a growing lump in her throat, "Ami-chan, if you have the time, then I have the will to try." _I have to stop letting everyone walk away_ …

She felt Ami scrutinized her for what seemed like several minutes. Finally, her friend's gaze dropped, and Ami began rummaging through one of the overhead kitchen cabinets. Standing on her toe tips, she pulled out a small coffee set from the mocha colored pantry, probably only used by Mamoru as she remembered Usagi not caring for the bitter taste of coffee.

"Sit." Ami said as she plugged in the machine. Rei felt silly for forgetting she was still standing and obediently occupied a chair at the table.

"I was telling Usagi earlier. I shifted some clients around to make a house visitation for Chibi-Usa's second booster. She's been avoiding the appointment, so I planned ahead." The drip started and was Rei's only source of comfort amongst another awkward silence.

"So," Rei desperately wanted to avoid the silence, "You're Chibi-Usa's doctor?"

"Everyone's actually," Rei could here Ami pouring the coffee now. She instinctively knew that by "everyone", Ami was referring to all the senshi and Mamoru. "Everyone except for you that is."

She winced slightly but said nothing. They were both calm now and she would like to keep it that way.

"Cream or sugar?" The question startled her.

"One sugar cube, please."

A cup of black, slightly sweetened coffee was placed in front of her. "Thank you." She mumbled softly before taking a sip. The adrenaline was leaving her and the short naps she prescribed herself were not enough for her to recoup. As she sipped the coffee, Rei felt her body absorbing the caffeine and sugar.

"You look exhausted. Usagi can be tiring, but not _that_ tiring." Ami said. Even though it was probably just safe small talk, Rei started to smooth down her ruffled hair. Damn, was her bed head really so bad to concern everybody who saw her?

Trying not to feel self-conscious at the idea of possibly resembling the crypt keeper, Rei explained, "I've had a rough few days." She then caught herself, not wanting to give Ami another reason to think she were dodging her questions, "I actually just arrived in the city early this morning. About three or four a.m. early."

"So you returned in a rush?" Questioned Ami, trying again to put the unknown pieces together.

"On a whim," Rei corrected, glad they were speaking comfortably. "Because of some… family legal matter, I just now inherited the Shrine. If I don't accept the responsibility to manage the Shrine, who knows what will happen to it."

Ami seemed to be choosing her words carefully, and Rei appreciated the other girl's effort to maintain their peace. "May I ask where you've relocated to before returning here?"

"Kazuno." Rei said briskly, not wanting to imagine what Ami could be thinking of her right now.

"Kazuno…" It took Ami a minute to search through a, surly, endless abyss of knowledge. She finally seemed to have recalled the small village-like town. "Kazuno?" Translation: Really? All the way up to middle-of-nowhere-Kazuno?

Rei made a sound of approval. "My mother left me her property when she passed. I don't know why my father never touched it… but it was available." _And far, far away._

Ami sighed; she was becoming frustrated again which caused Rei in turn to become aggravated. What more could the girl possibly want from her? She was being truthful and confronting haunts she, in all actuality, never had any intentions of confronting. On top of that, why was their 'argument', for lack of a better term, so weird? With any other human being on the planet, a battle of bravado and sarcasm would ensue, but no, not with Ami Mizuno. It was all a battle of remaining calm, and the loser would surely suffer should either woman step out of line.

Ami held her hand up to keep Rei from unleashing her famously fiery temper. "I'm mad at you."

"Who isn't now-a-day's?" Rei snapped.

Ami glared at her, choosing to ignore her comment. "But," she stressed, "I'm more upset with myself."

Rei didn't know how to react to the confession. She sat dumbfounded, unsure how to process the information.

"You have to understand, Rei." Ami explained, "I want… no, I must understand what happened, and I just _can't_ figure you out. When you left without so much as leaving a forwarding address, we all went through a detective phase of trying to find out why you would just leave. I mean, were you upset at one of us or could you just not handle the burden of being Sailor Mars—"

"Never." Rei had to stop the direction Ami's thoughts were taking. She loved her friends and had always been willing to give her life for any of them. That had never changed, and never would.

Ami had the grace to look apologetic. "It was all just speculation, Rei. No offense was meant."

Another silence passed, and Rei feared she had been too forceful in her denial of Ami's speculations. She didn't want to shut a wall in between them, not when she herself had a chance of understanding why she abandoned them all.

**Abandoned… you abandoned them… Just like your father…**

Rei shook her head, ignoring the small spike of pain in her temple and shied away from the negative thought. Another long silence had passed between the two women before Rei could summon up the courage needed to give Ami the answers she wanted. "I had a bit of a-an episode one night." She initiated the conversation, hating that, to her ears, she sounded like a small child. "I sort of had a break down when I saw some belongings of Grandpa..."

She knew Ami could tell it was hard to speak of her experience and was thankful the other girl's face was carefully showing no emotions. If Rei was to continue her retelling, it was Rei's choice. Ami was not pressuring her into speaking and that meant the world to her.

Another deep breath. "I think maybe I dropped the tea I was making or… threw it and some other dishes. I don't know." Her heart was beating fast. Could Ami hear if she was in danger of having a heart attack? "I don't remember the rest."

Ami looked concerned and confused. "You don't remember?" She gently prodded.

"No," Rei ran her fingers through her hair, suddenly unwilling to look Ami in the eyes. It was becoming incredibly hot as the hours shifted from morning sun to high noon. "I woke up early next morning - in my bed I woke up I mean. I-I didn't pass out on the floor or anything. But I s-saw all the broken china and just… I just needed to leave. I felt too overwhelmed with everything that had happened. Ya know… Grandpa dying and all…"

Before Rei could lose herself in the memory Ami interjected, "Rei," she said calmly, a voice Rei expected a doctor to use when addressing a patient, "I just want to clarify. You said you don't remember the time between when the china shattered and when you woke up the next morning."

"No, nothing." Rei didn't know what the question was leading to and didn't like not knowing.

"And when did you leave Tokyo?" Ami continued, not an ounce of judgment in her tone.

"I cleaned the mess when I discovered it the next morning. A guess would be maybe five…six a.m.? I remember it was just shy of dark." Rei's concern grew. "Ami, where is this going?"

Again, Ami was choosing her words carefully, "We learned of your disappearance from Minako."

"Minako?" Rei asked disbelievingly.

_\---_

_"Rei! Stop!" A frantic voice screamed, "Stop! What are you doing?!" Somebody grabbed and held her arms behind her back. Somebody was breathing hard next to her ear. "Stop… It's going to be okay…."_

\---

**You need not remember.**

Another sharp pain stabbed her temple, this time more severe. Pressing the right side of her forehead into the palm of her hand, she was oblivious to knocking over her coffee cup until feeling Ami's presence at her side, cleaning the spill and asking simultaneously, "Rei! Are you alright?"

"M-Minako…" Rei stuttered, still recovering from the intrusive pain in her head. "Minako was there?"

"Your head, Rei," Ami said, now clearly more concerned for Rei's health than the answers she was so desperately seeking. "What's going on?"

Rei eased her hand away from her forehead, blinking her eyes to rid them of the blurred vision, "It's nothing." Ami gave her an incredulous look. Translation: "You know I'm a doctor, right?"

"Look, I've had virtually no sleep and I'm currently running on adrenaline fumes and a karaoke party promise I made to Usagi." Rei reassured. "Please, go back to what you said about Minako."

It looked as though Ami was about to insist further, but after another thoughtful look, said, "You should ask Minako what happened."

"Please," Rei was desperate. This new information regarding the pop idol had shaken her; she didn't even want to begin to reason why. "I want to know what happened."

"The truth is that I don't know. Mina just said you were upset and left." Ami was studying her reaction. She hoped the doctor could read what she was feeling because she certainly felt clueless.

Neither woman spoke for several minutes. Ami's phone rang, jumping them both from their thoughts. Rei hardly paid attention to Ami's conversation; her mind was still swimming in confusion. If it was true that Minako was present during the time of her breakdown… why did she let her leave? Not that she was blaming her absence on Minako, but it didn't make any since. If anyone's temperament could rival her own, it was Minako's.

"Rei," Ami captured her attention.

"Hmm?"

"You need to talk to Mina."

She nodded absently.

The energy in the room had dulled and Ami clearly had somewhere she needed to be. She placed both cups in the sink and began grabbing her belongings.

"Hey," Rei started, before Ami could leave the house on whatever duty that called. "Now that I'm here, does this mean you're going to be my doctor too?" She smiled, wanting them to part on a good note.

Rei could tell Ami was fighting a smile, making her giddier than it should have. "You don't have a choice," The young doctor stated pompously, "but when you get sick, I'm prescribing you the vilest medicine on the market as retribution."

Rei laughed at the response.

"Your annual checkup is this Friday. Two p.m. on the dot." And as an afterthought she added, "Ask Usagi, I don't like tardiness."

"I've never been late in my life." Rei didn't feel the need to inform the doctor that she had actually recently attended her annual checkup in Kazuno.

It was Ami's turn to laugh. "See ya around, Rei."

Rei smiled as she watched Ami leave. It was perhaps the happiest thought she had conjured all week. _Yes…I'll be seeing all of you around for now on._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Usagi sat on the dark red leather sofa, head cast downward as she picked at her nails; Rei though it was perhaps one of the sadder sights she had seen in a long while. Chibiusa, on the other hand, was enjoying herself immensely as she played with a sailor V doll and a grey plush cat that suspiciously favored Luna. The two odango heads were on opposite ends of an emotional spectrum… odd to say the least.

"Where's Luna," Rei asked, hoping to break the sad silence.

Usagi still wouldn't look at her, "Probably at the park. Chibiusa doesn't really give her a break and Luna likes to escape when she can." A fond smile graced Usagi's features, probably remembering a torture session the feline guardian endured at the hands of the baby.

"And Mamoru?"

Watching the many emotions play across Usagi's face always fascinated Rei. Usagi was the most vibrant person she knew. Never holding secrets, always wearing her emotions on the ends of her sleeves. In a way, she found it brave. Personally, and in harsh contrast to her bubbly friend, Rei kept her emotions bottled. She only allowed them to show after careful consideration and scrutiny.

"He had to fly to Osaka to seal some business deal. I'm so proud of him, Rei." Usagi glanced at her before going back to her neurotic behavior. "He's really been working hard on this deal and if everything goes right, he could make partner. I don't want to bother him, so I try not to call him during the day…" Usagi trailed off. She had no idea what the other girl's thoughts were drifting to, but Rei felt she was understanding why Usagi so desperately wanted her to stay here. The poor girl was lonely and there was only so much company a baby could offer.

"Ah," Rei acknowledged. "Partner… That's quite an accomplishment at his age." _Then again, maybe_ _not,_ she thought, _seeing as he is the soon to be King of Earth_. Another silence transpired between the two.

Rei made her way to the matching armchair placed only a short distance away, carefully maneuvering around the numerous plastic and plush baby toys littering the carpeted floor. She sat cross legged on the oversized chair and examined her depressed friend once again. She looked absently at an ornately decorated vase, holding what seemed to be fake lilies. Something told her a real plant was sitting there at one point before a certain someone forgot to water it after a while.

After a moment, she pretended an aggravated sigh, "If you don't cheer up, I'm going to have to ask somebody else to lead my welcome home party."

Shifting uncomfortably, Usagi's blue eyes darted to where she was sitting and glared daggers at her. Rei fought a small smile, _Ding! Slowly but surely…_

"I'm sure Makoto would be a better choice anyways. Unlike _someone_ I know, she can cook." Rei continued, trying to get a rise out of the girl while at the same time making sure she didn't step too harshly on her toes.

"Don't even think about it!" Usagi snapped, clearly offended at the prospect of losing her position as party planner number one. "Makoto owns a shop that takes up almost all her free time!"

"Well, I'll just have to take what little time she has left." Reasoned Rei, having to put forth a little effort to keep from laughing at the now fuming Usagi. So many years had passed, and she felt out of practice when it came to teasing her.

Usagi crossed her arms over her chest and grumbled to herself. She again, would not meet Rei's eyes but Rei was sure it was due to petty anger now, and no longer shame. Small victory that it was, she could no longer hold up the charade and chuckled. "You know I'm sorry, right?"

"Yeah, you're sorry alright." Grumbled Usagi, not quite catching up to speed on what Rei was referencing.

"Not about teasing you." She tried to guide the oblivious girl, "I'm sorry for having you house me in secret."

"Oh…" Usagi was getting uncomfortable again.

"I shouldn't have placed that burden on you." Rei continued calmly, "I don't even remember why I asked you to do that to begin with. I must have been too tired to think clearly." Truthfully, she knew exactly why she didn't want to meet up with the others. There were questions she didn't want or know how to answer; the main question being what exactly she was running away from and other smaller questions she refused to address altogether. The small lie; however, should be enough to smooth things over with her childhood friend.

"So… You're not mad I couldn't keep the promise?" Usagi asked timidly.

"No." Rei replied with a sense of finality. She wanted to squash any reproachful thoughts Usagi may be having.

Usagi nodded in comprehension, "Then, I accept your apology." Then added slyly, "But only if you let me throw your party."

Rei rolled her eyes, knowing she hadn't a snowballs chance in hell of escaping the festivity. "Who else could I trust to ensure every cake known to man makes it on the menu?"

Usagi grinned happily and, to Rei's dismay, briskly crossed the room and hugged her excitedly. Rei had to squint her eyes against the invading blonde strands of hair as Usagi's cheek slammed against her own. Usagi looked teenaged all over again, rambling on and on about snack options and, of course, karaoke CDs. Rei expended a large amount of effort to not push the girl away, knowing it would be better to let Usagi have her little episode rather than fight it altogether. The excessive amount of attention she was receiving was causing a rising blush to speckle itself across the bridge of her nose and cheeks, and, oh, she hated it. She wished Usagi would just hurry up and get… whatever this was… out of her system.

After a small eternity, Usagi plopped next to her and shifted Rei to the far side of the chair. Then, while grabbing a pink and white smartphone from her jean's back pocket, she began announcing dates and times. The chair emitted a light creaking sound, protesting against the sudden shift of weight it was experiencing. Slightly overwhelmed and trying not to resemble a scared animal, Rei listened with feigned interest.

"We should have it tonight," Usagi bounced at her great idea, causing the chair to creak again. Rei stayed very, very still and gripped the armrest for emotional support.

"It's Thursday—", she started but was soon interrupted.

"Tomorrow's Sea Day! Ami is sure to be off and Makoto will probably close her bakery for the day." It was hard to focus on her words, as Rei was sure if she breathed hard enough, the recliner they were sharing would surely collapse, "So it's not like they have to wake up early tomorrow or anything." Usagi's eyes widened, lost in her fantasy and planning.

Usagi then scrambled and leaped from the recliner, driving the chair to drastically rock forward. It was all Rei could manage to not face plant into the carpet next to Chibiusa, who was clapping her hands, delightfully watching her mother's crazy antics.

"It's settled! I'm calling my mom and dad now. I'm sure they'll watch Chibiusa for just one night and surely Minako will be taking the day off…"

Recovering from her close encounter of the Usagi kind, Rei tucked a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear. "Ah, about Minako…"

Usagi returned from her daydreaming, "Yeah?"

"You, uh," _Please don't make a big deal of this._ "You don't have her number by any chance do you?" Rei asked.

Her friend's normally big, round blue eyes turned to slits and Rei felt that oh so familiar annoyance returning to her at the other girl's smug smile. "Why d'ya need it?"

Rei chose to ignore _any_ hidden remarks Usagi was insinuating about the pop idol. "Because, Usagi, I need to speak with her." Rei said with as much patience as the gods would grant her.

"You _need_ to, Rei-chan?" Usagi mocked, her cheeks puffing up as they do when she's having far too much fun.

"Please, won't you just—"

"Have you called her at all recently?"

"No. I didn't keep in touch with anybody, as we discussed already." Rei rattled off again. She was really starting to get tired of being scrutinized for her hermit ways.

"I mean, I just assumed you would. You two were pretty close." Usagi continued in a whimsical voice, "All the times her hand would linger on your shoulder and sometimes on your ass…"

Rei stood up, not caring about the damn chair anymore, and blushed furiously. "She did that to everyone!" she defended vehemently. "There are photos she took with you that shows her hand creeping up your thigh!" It was true, the entity that is Minako Aino could be described as walking, living, and breathing sex appeal. Whether it was boy or girl, Minako appreciated beauty whenever and wherever she could find it.

Usagi looked offended that Rei would suggest she felt _that_ way towards anyone other than her beloved Mamo. "Purely platonic!"

"Exactly!" Rei shouted.

Chibiusa, who Rei had forgotten about during her flustered moment, chose just then to make a very loud and abrupt sound. The child obviously did not want to see her mother getting yelled at, and in turn, yelled at Rei with narrowed eyes and a little furrowed brow. The priestess couldn't help but feel she and the little monster were getting off on the completely wrong footing.

The cheese grinning Usagi stooped to pat her child on the head, "Look! You're being a bad influence on her, Rei."

Rei made a move to grab the other woman's phone, but missed. "I swear, when I'm through with you, Mamoru will be a single parent."

Usagi giggled, continually dodging Rei's half-hearted attempts at snatching the phone away, "That goes against your senshi duty, Rei-chan." She said in a sing-song voice.

Rei ceased her attempts to grab the phone and sighed, trying to regather her patience. "Michiru plays the violin, you eat cake, Minako flirts, Usagi. That's just what she does and that's all she did." She stressed further, "Now can I please have her number? It's important."

Usagi, no longer having fun with her little game, tossed Rei the phone and then picked up a still glaring Chibiusa. It was most likely approaching the small lady's lunch time. "Be sure to use my phone. She won't pick up if she doesn't recognize the number."

Rei looked at the pretty, bedazzled phone with apprehension.

"Oh, and Rei?"

"Hmm?"

"Be nice, ok?"

Rei stared at Usagi and Chibiusa's retreating form and felt puzzled by what Usagi meant. Yes, she teased the girl, relentlessly sometimes, but did people actually consider her to be mean spirited?

Rei scrolled through Usagi's contacts and quickly found "Aino Minako". After gathering her courage, she pressed the call button, holding her breath… counting down the rings…

* * *

"A'ight baby, that's good." Minako heard the English man's voice over the loud speaker announce smoothly. She slid the puffy headphones down her ears, only to have the bulky headset rest on her bare shoulders. The pop idol had long discarded her button up blouse. After many years of working within the isolation room, she had to dress in layers. The temperature could very well be freezing outside but still have the ability to fry an egg on the mic. Unfortunately, today it was hotter than hell in the booth; there were no fans that could cause static during the voice recording.

"Try saying that again, but in Japanese this time." Minako called out sweetly, knowing her sound engineer far preferred his mother tongue. The intercom emitted a mumbling she assumed was Japanese. A waft of cool air immediately surrounded her once she left the smaller room, and she smiled triumphantly at the small band of peers she had grown to call family.

"One English phrase isn't going to kill my knowledge of Japanese, ya know?" The engineer's voice was like listening to a cellist play.

Minako had originally met the man a few years back during one of her tours in America; a Winter Jam if she remembered correctly. After the concert, she was booked to attend an after party and while performing some amateur DJ session - a publicity stunt that did wonders for her western ratings - the two ran into each other at the club's bar. Marco Laufner, she learned, was also a visiting artist but from the UK. He was finally calling it quits after experiencing only a few years in the music industry, and he was on the last stretch of his final tour.

The two artists got to talking and after hearing the melodic genius the man was capable of, Minako convinced him to consider a consultation position, and left the tall slender man her manager's card. Months after her return to Japan, Minako's lead sound engineer angrily stepped out during recording, leaving them all high and dry. Weeks transpired and the Japanese idol couldn't satisfy herself with any potentials, as they called them, and she feared the team would not meet their upcoming deadlines. Suddenly, like a godsend, her manager burst into the studio, tripping over her PR lead, only to shove his PDA into her hand.

Marco had heard rumors of the disgruntled employee and was temporarily offering his services. Relieved, Minako immediately flew Marco to Tokyo and, after catching up to meet the upcoming deadlines, convinced him to make the temporary setting a permanent one. Marco took a little convincing, but eventually gave in, as the idol offered him a handsome package including health benefits and Japanese language lessons – which she has been paying for a little over two years now. The two dated only briefly, mutually deciding to break off the relationship to avoid breaking their professional balance that had been working so well thus far.

Minako snatched a cool bottled water from a discrete mini-fridge tucked underneath a table which currently doubled as a napping spot for her snow colored cat guardian and giggled at the engineer, "You have to stay disciplined! Don't make the mistakes I did when I first lived abroad."

She recalled how his dark brown skin looked fabulous beneath the club lighting when they had first met and appreciated the dark stubble on his upper lip and chin; however, not a scrap of hair was to be found on the man's noggin. Curiously, Minako noticed he wasn't wearing a single piece of designer clothing, just a simple off colored white button up and dark jeans. No jewelry, either. Perhaps he didn't end his career due to a lack of passion for music, but a disdain for the frivolities that came with the industry.

Marco waved her off, and began playing with the numerous buttons and levers on the mixing consol. She shuffled towards the sofa occupying the far wall, picked up one of her beloved trash magazines from the nearby coffee table, and began fanning herself. She loved her job, but recording during the summer was a bitch.

"Mina! That was great! You really shined during the chorus…" A short haired Japanese woman said while plopping down next to her. Minako ate up the compliments her hairdresser, Choco Kibe, was feeding her. She knew very well there was no need for a hairdresser in the studio but the sweet girl's personality mixed well with Marco's lax aura and her manager's, Sugao Saitou's, more serious attitude, providing a wonderful emotional balance in the room. Also, the girl's compliments were like sweet pieces of candy that only caused her an inflated ego instead of cavities.

"Oi," Minako asked to no one in particular. "Where's Saitou-san? Wasn't he dead set on finishing up the vocals before Sea Day? I thought he'd be here when we wrapped it up."

"He took off after a call came in. Didn't say much 'bout it." Marco replied without breaking his concentration away from the board in front of him.

"Saitou-san said to give you his best regards." Choco chimed in. "I guess he didn't plan on being back before we all took off for the holiday."

Minako nodded absently while sipping her water. Sugao was such a blessing. The man had been working twice as hard to ensure they could all take the holiday off and have a rare three-day weekend. She ordered him to take some time off as well, and sincerely hoped he would comply; the overachiever could be such a workaholic sometimes…

"Well, dear companions," Minako tossed her now empty plastic bottle into the recycling basket. "I say we call it a day." Noon was early to call it quits, she knew, but she had spent all morning dishing out vocals without any breaks so she could leave earlier than planned.

"Oh, let's go dancing tonight, Mina!" The hair stylist announced. "There's a new club that's just opened on the strip. Last week, I ordered the cutest wig that I know you would just _kill_ —"

"I have plans." Minako stated smugly, imagining _exactly_ how she planned on starting off her small vacation… "But Marco might be available."

"Not a chance, little lady." Marco announced before Choco could begin begging. "I'm really feeling this beat right now so I'm gonna hash it out here for a few more hours and get a head start on next week's lineup. Then it's straight home for me. I got a date with some leftover pizza, beer, and my playstation."

"You two are so boring…" Choco sighed.

"See you on Monday, girlie." Minako grabbed her bag and scooped up an unsuspecting Artemis, rudely awakening him. "Marco." She said in departure. The man gave a small wave without turning around, diving back into his project.

The drive home took the black, indiscrete Prius shorter than usual to weave through traffic; there were significantly less cars on the road now compared to her usual clock-out time at five p.m. Though happy for the expedited trip, she was sure the elderly woman driving her appreciated the lack of aggressive drivers more than she could imagine. She idly wondered how long Noriko-san had been her faithful chauffer…

The car smoothly pulled up beside the primped sidewalk in front of her flat's building and she wished the old woman a happy holiday, assuring her that, no, she would not need her on call and, yes, she had plenty of groceries in her fridge – which she certainly did not because it was a rare occasion for her to cook at all.

"You did really well today, Mina." Artemis said after hopping out of the car. A quick glance assured them both that nobody was around; her building didn't have a doorman until after seven p.m., thankfully. She always felt horrible when her feline friend was forced to remain non-vocal but was nonetheless glad he continued joining her during recording sessions.

"I think this next album is really going to be a huge hit." She said excitedly. "Marco's outdone himself this time."

"Yeah, but you're really getting into the music too, ya know? You're a lot more involved with the songs' compositions this time around." Artemis encouraged. Minako loved his words, but unlike Choco's lovely compliments, she always took note of her guardian's comments. The white cat had known her since the beginning of her career and arguably knew better than anyone when she was excelling or shortcoming.

Not really wanting to change the subject, but feeling it was necessary as they approached the building's revolving glass door she asked. "So how's Luna doing?"

Artemis scowled. He knew she was using their code phrase that meant: You should get lost for a while. "She's fine. Is he here again?"

"Oh come on now, it's not like we're dating, and it's not often I have him over."

Artemis was referring to Keisuke, of course. The cat wasn't fond of the dancer at all. The two had met while practicing for a music video that was to be released simultaneously when the album would drop and Keisuke made a snide remark about Minako allowing alley cats on the scene. Minako instantly chewed his ass out and the twenty something year old man stated sheepishly he was just trying to get her attention. One thing lead to another and they made out in her dressing room. What could she say? The guy had charm. To top it off, he was constantly gifting Artemis with jingling cat toys that she, admittedly, had to keep throwing away as her guardian had zero interest in the good will, and was probably interpreting them as further insult.

"Whatever, Mina," Artemis grumbled, turning his back to her and raising his tail high in the air as he walked away from her. "Just send a signal when mating season is over."

Minako, feeling disappointed that Artemis _still_ hadn't let the slight go, toyed with the idea of drugging him with catnip on his return. Though never actually succeeding before, the idea was gathering more and more merit in her mind.

She entered the building and zoomed up the elevator to the upper level penthouse, anticipating the guest she had awaiting inside. Once opening the door, Keisuke was waiting, no shirt and unbuttoned jeans. Yet he was still wearing his nose ring, ear ring, and chain. The man was simply gorgeous with his pale skin and dyed light green hair.

"I see you found your way in," Instantly her voice became sultry, ready to start their little game.

"Well, I figured you gave me a key for a reason, right?" His voice wasn't as deep as Marco's, but still enough to be considered masculine.

Minako immediately connected with his flesh, their lips meeting hungrily, all the while her hands running over his body. The two were stumbling into her bedroom and somehow between the front door and her bed Minako's skirt disappeared. She dropped her bag on her nightstand once the two were on the bed and lifted her tank top slowly, high above her head, letting it fall where it may and absently remembered she had left her button up blouse at the studio…

"I love seeing you in the sunlight like this, Mina." Keisuke always knew what to say during their game, and she thought she could maybe love him for it if she tried hard enough.

She bent down to resume kissing him and right when she was fumbling with the top trim of Keisuki's jeans, her phone interrupted them harshly. They both paused, and sighed, knowing that it could very well be the entertainment industry calling – and when they called it was unthinkable to not answer. Minako grudgingly shuffled through the contents of her bag, bringing out her phone and scowling at the glowing digital letters spelling "Usagi" across the glass surface.

"It's Usagi." She muttered.

"Can't you just ignore it?" Keisuke muttered, placing an arm behind his head and hooking his right index finger in the front of her panties. He had a devilishly scrumptious smirk dancing over his features, enticing her more.

Minako shook her head "no" and answered the phone. She had a duty to the future queen of Earth, to guard and protect her as well as provide emotional support – especially when Mamoru was not around to do the job. The still sexually active man pulled the thin cloth down lower, causing her to accidently giggle and mutter "stop it" into the receiver.

"Am I interrupting something?" The deadpan voice that was most certainly NOT Usagi's replied to her unintentional greeting.

The only time Minako felt the way she did now was when her mother had caught transfer student Trista Mackrel making out with her and fondling her breast during senior year of high school. Essentially, that's how her bisexual nature was discovered by her parents and they had beautifully handled it by grounding her for a month and discussing safe sex procedures. It was the second most awkward time of her live… followed by this, naturally.

She hurried off of the half-naked male beneath her, using the poor guys face for leverage and scooted to the edge of the bed, her free hand covering her mid-section as she was _positive_ Rei's second sight could see her partially naked and horny self right now. She pictured the smirking girl… and fought a fierce blush.

"N-no!" she squeaked. "Uhm… Rei?" She needed to verify that it was actually her on the other end of the line… but who was she kidding? It was impossible for her to mistake the voice of the enigma that was Rei Hino…

"Usagi said you wouldn't answer if I called from a weird number." Was the only reply Rei awarded her.

Silence passed between the two and Minako prayed to every deity she knew, hoping Rei couldn't hear her harsh, uneven breathing. Nervousness; however, soon turned to annoyance and then, thereafter, replaced by a feeling of just being plain pissed off. Her sexual buzz was gone, and she felt cold while sitting half-naked on the edge of her plush bed.

"What…" she paused to control her growing temper, "What brings you to call?"

Somehow she could feel the hesitation in the other woman's voice, "….I wanted to speak about when I left… four years ago…"

"To apologize?" Minako answered sarcastically, not at all feeling apologetic for putting Rei on the spot.

"… Should I?"

Minako then felt rage, and she silently wondered if the fire she felt creeping up her spine and heating her heart and mind was comparable to the same fire Rei teased and controlled so easily. She blocked all memory of their terrible last encounter from her mind. "We shouldn't do this over the phone." She bit out.

"R-Right." The voice stuttered. "When would be an appropriate time for us to meet?"

"I dunno." But upon quick contemplation, Minako threw out, "I'm free later today." She wouldn't run from the girl, she decided, but that didn't mean she had to like the idea of speaking with her, either.

"I actually have an appointment later today but –"

"Well then how about you pen me into your schedule then, ne?" She almost shouted and quickly added, "Look, I'm busy right now. Gotta go." Minako hated that she was incapable of hanging up on her that moment, no matter how badly she wanted to.

"Yeah… another time." She knew Rei was getting annoyed with her by the way she vocalized her goodbye and all the more did that fuel her fire.

Both parties disconnected and Minako was left sitting nearly naked and exposed on her bed, the edges of the titanium phone biting in to her palm as she gripped it.

"Hey," a gentle voice said behind her and soft lips kissed her neck. If she were honest with herself, she would admit that his lips no longer seemed electric but invasive… but then she would actually have to be honest with herself.

Minako looked over her shoulder to see Keisuki, looking concerned and troubled. "Mina, I don't want to intrude on your business, but if you already have someone…"

The thought lingered in the air and it took her a second to realize what the boy was insinuating. They both had established rules when they were first trying to label what… _this_ was. The two had come up with only two rules: no strings attached and no partners hiding in the midst.

"Just an old friend," Minako said softly and contemplated why she hated how the words tasted in her mouth, "nothing more."

"Yeah." Keisuki muttered and tossed his green hair, obviously not entirely believing her… but then again, Minako hardly believed the denial herself. He arose from the bed and pulled a form fitting yellow tee over his torso. It must have been lying around close, for when he had to leave later for some rehearsal he was a part of. "I'm gonna head out."

"Right." Was her trite reply. She didn't have the energy to feign disappointment – her thoughts were elsewhere…

"Catch ya later, Mina." Keisuki left the bedroom and shortly after, she heard the soft click of the front door shutting behind him.

Minako rolled back onto her ruffled bed, arms and legs sprawled out, making her resemble a star fish. She glowered at the ceiling. _Great. Just great_ , she thought, cursing the phone call that blindsided her. _Rei fucking Hino is back…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Again, thanks everyone for sending in some encouragement! See you next Friday ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter: Four**

Minako laid sprawled out on her slightly mussed, silk covered bed and quietly pondered what she did to deserve such bad karma. Reliving the embarrassment of having her lover walk out on her, she snorted… Some goddess of love and beauty she was! She was still gripping her phone lightly in her left hand when she lazily ran her fingers through her blonde bangs. Gazing at the ceiling, she tried to decipher the wave of emotions churning in her head, heart and belly. There was a nervousness, sort of like the first-day-of-school type of nervousness, creating a small bowl of nausea to situate itself in the pit of her stomach. Then, there was anger… oh there was _so_ much anger… Delicious little flames licking at her spine and pricking her skin, making Minako feel almost feverous since its wake.

Losing her calm for possibly the second or third time since she had received her sex blocking phone call, Minako grappled with one of the shams and tossed the innocent pillow across the room, sitting up only to glare menacingly at her phone. This was not how she planned to start her extended weekend! She couldn't decide whether she should damn Rei for mussing it all up or Usagi for facilitating the call in the first place. Minako's anger remained unsated, though it was beginning to dull, and she wasn't willing to continue the angry blame game any longer. Instead, she dressed in a less sexy pair of gym shorts and a tee; the kind that says, 'I'm here to Netflix and chill with my cat'. She then snatched a purple tattered notebook and lime green mp3 player from the top of the dresser and briskly walked out to the large deck overlooking the grand city of Tokyo.

Minako flopped down with a huff onto one of the few comfortable chairs situated on the far corner of the balcony, where she donned the mp3 player's ear buds, and began shuffling through the notebook. She had owned the tattered book since she was in high school, writing down little notes and verses, along with the occasional and embarrassing love ballad. She just recently picked up writing again and regretted letting the hobby get away from her for so long. During the infancy of her career Minako entrusted her manager to hire lyricists, as she was far too fresh within the industry to be trusted to organize her thoughts on her own. Success over the last few years gave Minako more confidence and creative freedom, so she had taken a more active role writing both music and lyrics. Her fans responded lovingly to most of her original pieces and Minako's popularity aged well over the years. Alas, the piece she was trying to write now was not a new song, but instead a therapeutic writing session to mend her frayed nerves.

Unable to pull the creativity, Minko read through her earlier entries. She cringed at what her 15-year-old-self considered "lyrical genius" and yet; nonetheless, continued looking fondly over the brightly colored ink doodles and poorly constructed poetry. As she tried to find inspiration on the old pages, she noticed crudely torn page frills that seemed sprout between every other few pages. Again, the blonde's sour attitude returned, remembering those particular torn out entries revolved around a certain grumpy priestess whose memory she was currently, unsuccessfully avoiding. Minako tossed her book on the tiny table next to her chair. _I just can't escape her,_ she thought, aggravated at the remnants of the stubborn girl hiding in far too many crevices of her life than she cared to admit. Minako stared out at the city scape before here, the rage finally dissipating only to be replaced by an achy exhaustion.

_I wonder if she called from one of those tiny boxes…_ Minako thought absently, but quickly dismissed the idea. Rei called from Usagi's phone… She didn't want to feel this way, but a bit of betrayal was slicing away at her psyche. How long had she been in town? Who else knew of her return? Was she the last on the list to find out? Minako continued skimming over the infinite sheets of glass and metal that mixed seamlessly within the concrete jungle of Tokyo. Giving up her fruitless search for answers, she closed her eyes against the harshly bright glare that was beginning to reflect against the towers before her, letting her thoughts drift to the night everything went so wrong…

* * *

_It was a chilly November day, around high noon. Minako had urgently contacted her fellow senshi, demanding they cancel any prior engagements and immediately convene at the group's favorite coffee shop. It was a mostly indiscrete location, ironically placed directly across from the infamous arcade of their youth and next to a for-lease restaurant space that Makoto had been eyeing for months. The street itself was almost like a linear timeline of how the girls had matured over the years. Minako earlier snagged one of the small tables within the little fenced in area adjacent to the clean sidewalk. Indeed, one could argue it was too cold to sit outside, and Usagi probably would, but Minako was in full winter drag. She would easily suffocate to death inside the warm shop, being unable to remove her layers of clothing for fear of being recognized by an over enthusiastic fan._

_Minako just couldn't sit still, too eager to share her good news with the other girls, so she took out her phone and used its camera to double check her persona. At a glance, the girl easily pulled off a young college-aged male, sporting a western letterman jacket from a university she most certainly did not attend. Underneath, she wore a hoodie and sweater in order to give herself a more masculine build, effectively hiding her feminine assets nicely. Her golden hair, though not expertly hidden, was stuffed in an unremarkable chin-length clipped black wig. A baseball cap topped her head; only black bangs sprouted from underneath its bill. Completing the disguise were brand-less sunglasses, though Minako felt sure she looked silly, as they clearly weren't needed on the blustery, cloudy day._

_From the corner of her eyes, she saw Makoto eyeing her suspiciously from beyond the gated area, and immediately Minako ceased her self-inspection. Sometimes it was difficult, traveling incognito just to have an outing with her friends, but, admittedly, she loved all these newfound cosplay opportunities. Minako often reminisced of her teen years when the group of girls could frequent the mall or the arcade effortlessly, not having to care about whether or not the press knew of her location. Minako lowered her sunglasses and puckered her lips at Makoto, who just rolled her eyes in response. Makoto changed course and steered away from the shop's entrance, only to occupy one of the five chairs surrounding the round, umbrella-topped table._

" _You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to you looking like that." Makoto said, still not comfortable enough with her disguise to maintain any form of eye contact._

_Minako felt partially responsible for Makoto's unease. The first time she attempted dressing in drag, she decided to play a little prank on the girl and flirted with her relentlessly. To her delight, she received some fabulously cute blushes from Makoto… along with many terrible glares afterwards when her voice could no longer remain deep enough to pass as male. She tried the same prank on Rei too, but Rei coolly ignored her attempts and promptly told her she looked "ridiculous", completely ruining Minako's fun. The costume was apparently significantly flawed under the scrutiny of Rei's intuition…_

" _So what's this big news, hmm?" Makoto asked, staring at the for lease sign hanging on the building to their right._

" _Not until everybody gets here!" Minako bounced in her seat. Noticing Makoto's gaze, she asked "Have you even tried calling the owner?"_

" _Of course not…" The other girl said hotly, but soon grinned, "I have to wait and see if the business loan gets approved first."_

_Minako squealed and launched herself to where Makoto was sitting, hugging her tightly. Her excitement almost toppled them both over. "You'll cater all of my parties, ya?"_

_Beaming at Minako's enthusiasm and returning the affection, Makoto giggled, "Sure, but I feel sorry for any diabetics you host. Your sweet tooth is uncanny."_

_Before Minako could reply to the jest, the remainder of their group had finally arrived. Usagi was already running towards the table, having easily looked through Minako's disguise. Usagi, still brandishing her yellow twin tails, called behind her, urging the other two girls to hurry. Ami, either having just left class or needing to attend one soon, wore a far too heavy bag slung across her shoulder and was falling slightly behind Usagi's energetic pace. Walking on par with Ami, was Rei._

_A pang of sadness stung Minako's chest as she noticed the dark rings beneath Rei's usually bright and focused amethyst eyes. Rei's grandfather had very recently passed away and what troubled her was how Rei refused to break from her regular routine. Minako assumed chores must have at least doubled at the Hikawa Shrine and suspected Rei had no intentions of hiring anyone to help her. As a matter of fact, the entire senshi squad offered to help take care of the Shrine, sweet Ami actually created a rotation, but each and every one of their offers were politely declined. Equally frustrating and worrisome was how Rei seemed to be lacking any signs of experiencing the four or five stages of grief… or any emotion for that matter. Just like all her friends, she too had a certain skill and reading people's emotions was what she did best; yet when she dared peak into Rei's aura… the senshi of love and beauty was blind, disturbing her more than she cared to admit._

_Ami and Usagi sat on either side of Minako; however, Rei remained standing. "Still looking silly I see." Rei stated, having the nerve to sound almost bored._

_Minako was more than happy to rise to Rei's challenge, "Ya know, I bet you just secretly wish I could be your boyfriend. Maybe you want someone to show off to your old prep-school peers?" They both knew Rei didn't befriend anyone at her stuffy old school and Minako held a certain pride for that. She was proud of Rei for not conforming to what her old classmates considered to be "normal". After all, normal was boring. Normal, usually, was fake._

_Beefing up for her next attack, Minako felt a bit let down at Rei's response. All she received was a soft humming sound; a simple acknowledgement that words had indeed been exchanged between the two, and then Rei began dutifully noting all of their drink orders. Shortly after having just arrived, Rei disappeared inside the shop and began placing their orders. Normally, Minako's jabs would have sparked at least a five minute competition of sarcasm and wit between the two; she felt somewhat cheated._

_As if understanding her concern, Usagi sighed and said, "I've tried inviting her out every day since the funeral, but she keeps claiming she's busy."_

" _She's doing all the shrine work herself now," Makoto gently reminded everyone. "I'm actually surprised she found the time to show today."_

" _Maybe it's because Mina asked her," Usagi said smugly, cutting her eyes to Minako._

_Minako smirked at her partner in crime. "Oooh, you think so?"_

_Minako loved egging on her fellow blonde. Personally, Minako thought she made her feelings for Rei quite obvious, yet the other girl resisted her in every way imaginable, which was delightfully frustrating. True, she didn't overly enjoy the pattern of cold shoulder treatment Rei endlessly dished out, causing Minako in turn grab more willing partners to satisfy her more "earthly" needs; however, Minako would be a liar if she claimed she didn't enjoy the chase. There was a certainly thrill on not knowing if the game was to ever be won, sort of like how children danced their hands around fire; it was as if the idea itself, of getting burnt that is, was the best part of the game. Anyways, best case scenario, encouraging Usagi gave her a match making ally. Worst case scenario, the two would combine forces in defense of Rei's sharp tongue._

" _Don't you two start!" Ami lightly scolded the two of them while glancing at Rei through the widow, obviously needing reassurance that the subject matter was not overhearing the conversation. "Now's not a good time to tease."_

_Both Minako and Usagi bowed their heads in apology and soon Rei had returned to their table, warm drinks in hand. She sat the tray of coffee in the center of the table, filling the last seat. Minako observed how the silent girl sipped her drink, admiring the pink hue the cold air painted on Rei's cheeks and nose. She only wished Rei would look up from studying the bland table; Minako wanted so bad to see those amethyst eyes shining brightly again, even if they were in frustration of her very own poorly timed flirting attempts._

" _So, the news…" Makoto asked again, only this time impatiently._

_Minako's mood lifted again, becoming giddier as she saw the curious looks her friends were giving her… well all but Rei at least, but that couldn't be helped. Or, rather, it could but it would be a cold day in hell the moment Minako Aino would be allowed to have her way with Rei. Though it was harder than it really should have been, breaking her thoughts away from Rei, Minako refocused on why she had demanded the meeting and began shuffling her gloved hand in her jacket pocket, retracting four lanyards with plastic V.I.P cards attached._

" _Another concert?" Usagi asked, her bright blue eyes lighting up at seeing the passes._

_Temporarily ignoring Usagi's question. Minako directed her attention to Ami, "Your winter break—"_

" _If it's between December 24_ _th_ _and January 7_ _th_ _, I can make it." Ami replied grinning. Minako always felt terribly guilty when Ami couldn't make it to her events because they rarely jived with the med-student's academic year._

" _Then start clearing your schedules for New Year's Day, ladies!" Minako announced happily and for special effect, continued after a long pause. "You will be attending Minako Aino's winter-jam, for the very first time being hosted in… London!"_

_Usagi immediately began squealing and hugging her and Minako happily reciprocated the affection. "The plane tickets are on me, and don't worry about the hotel. Saitou-san has it worked out." She started rambling," I just can't think of anything better than ringing in the New Year with my girls! Consider it your Christmas gifts." Minako finished with a victorious wink. She loved surprises: receiving and giving._

" _I knew it wouldn't be long before the westerners wanted a piece of our Mina." Makoto smiled, and her comments warmed Minako's heart._

" _The only downside is that after the tour, I'll be recording in Europe for a year or so. Saitou-san said it's to 'cement my presence'—"_

_Usagi interrupted her, "But then that means we can visit Europe whenever we want!"_

" _Careful, Mina," Ami teased, "Usagi may just decide to room with you. It's a shame you never got around to giving her those English lessons."_

_Usagi stuck her tongue out at Ami, causing laughter to erupt from the table. Minako, wiping her now watering eyes, saw that Rei had stood from her seat._

" _Rei?" Usagi asked timidly._

_If Minako didn't know any better, she would say Ami and Makoto were both holding their breath. Due to current events, Rei was treated as a wild card by them all and treating her delicately was priority number one. Minako desperately searched Rei's eyes and was disheartened when her gift failed, yet again, to tell her what was going on in Rei's head. She didn't like not being able to read what the other girl was feeling. The two stared at each other for what seemed like several minutes, in actuality it was probably just a split second, before the silence was broken._

" _I have to go." Rei tightened her red scarf around her neck, picked up her bag, and started walking away._

" _Hey wait!" Minako tried to catch up to the other girl, but Ami grabbed her gloved hand._

" _Let her be for now…"_

" _But—"_

" _She just lost somebody, Mina." Ami explained carefully, "She may not want to deal with the idea of losing somebody else… especially so soon."_

" _But I…" The high Minako was feeling earlier was gone. She certainly didn't intend to make matters worse for Rei, but she had just received the news herself earlier that day. She wanted one last celebration before her impending relocation. Maybe it was selfish of her to expect one last party with her friends in light of recent news…_

_Though Rei's abrupt departure certainly brought the mood down, the four remaining women made the best of their time, planning their upcoming vacation to London and discussing famous landmarks to visit. The visitation was brief; however, as Ami had a paper to write and Usagi had successfully cooked dinner for Mamoru all week and didn't want to break her streak. The ladies said their goodbyes and Minako called her chauffer. As she waited in the brisk, afternoon air, she noticed Rei's coffee, hardly touched, and next to the plastic cup was the V.I.P pass identical to the other passes her friends had gladly accepted. She remembered Ami's words, about how Rei didn't want to deal with the idea of somebody else leaving. Minako needed Rei to understand she wasn't leaving forever, and if the she had it her way, the two would visit each other frequently. Resisting the urge to immediately chase after Rei, Minako decided she would deliver the pass later that evening, long after Rei would normally be finished with her chores._

_That evening, Minako eagerly climbed the shrine steps, huffing little white clouds of hot air. She was still wearing the false letterman jacket, but had ditched the wig and cap, letting her long hair fall free; the darkness of the night was all the disguise she needed. She'd also lost the many layers of clothing underneath, now comfortably wearing a long sleeved shirt. Hands in her pockets, she twisted the lanyard between her fingers, nervously wondering if Rei would be upset at the unannounced visit. She'd rather not upset her twice in one day – even though it wouldn't exactly set any new records, all things considered… As she raised her hand to knock on the shrine's administration building, or rather the building that had been remodeled to house the Hikawa Shrine's residents, a faint noise caught Minako's attention._

_Listening closely, not at all caring if she looked suspicious, Minako heard it again. Shattering glass! Had somebody broken into Rei's home?! No longer did she care about in disguise. Minako Aino, using her Sailor Venus strength, crashing through the door, charging mercilessly forward towards the racket. Minako was concerned, yes, but knew Rei had faced far worse than a common house burgler. Still, she prayed that's all that could be causing the ruckus._

_Upon entering the kitchen, Minako was forced to dodge, what she suspected, was a once ornately decorated tea cup. Surprise shocked her at who the true culprit creating the distress happened to be. Such a terrible sight greeted her… Rei Hino was not fending off a thief, but instead, was standing all alone inside the small kitchen, looking awfully small and afraid in the middle of seemingly thousands of broken shards. The sight shook Minako; Rei was her rock, her solace and savior from all the worries and stressors the world threw onto her shoulders, not only as an idol but as senshi leader. To see her obviously losing an internal war… well, it shook her. Being unable to sense such terror… such turmoil that was so apparently eating the other girl from the inside out, troubled her more than words could describe._

_Rei's nervous laugh startled her more than it should have. "I should clean this up…" Rei had obviously noticed her presence, but Minako had a feeling Rei wasn't exactly seeing anything clearly at the moment._

_To Minako's horror Rei reached down and gripped a rather large chunk of jagged china, a piece of the teapot matching the cup from earlier she'd guessed. She feared that Rei might unintentionally add to the few cuts that were already etched on her forearms and cheek in her attempt to "clean". She couldn't help but berate herself. She shouldn't have waited so long to come over. Earlier that day, her instincts screamed something was wrong, so, dammit, why didn't she listen to them? Immediately, Minako rushed over, ignoring the crunch of shards that were undoubtedly embedding themselves into the rubber soles of her shoes, and snatched the shard from the distressed girl's hand, flinging it away from them both._

_Rei looked at her confused, clearly beyond the point of being able to register what was happening. "Mina…I need to—"_

_Before Rei could continue her self-destruction, Minako gripped Rei in a tight hug; however, she didn't expect such a harsh struggle to ensue. Rei was hating being restrained, she knew, but Minako was far too scared of what would happen if she let go. As Rei started to twist and turn, shouting demands to be let go, two partook in a very strange waltz, only it wasn't music playing but harsh scrapes, snaps, and cracks echoing from beneath their feet. Minako managed a glance, and was allowed a small moment of reprieve seeing her stubborn friend had uncharacteristically kept her shoes on rather than leaving them at the front door. But then again, this entire situation was incredibly uncharacteristic of Rei. At least there would be fewer cuts for her to bandage up later, as she had no intentions of leaving Rei alone for a good while._

_Rei was growing wilder by the second, so Minako performed the only action that she thought would break through Rei's chaos. She spun the other girl around and kissed her. Only a quick, silent moment passed before Rei violently shoved Minako away, causing Minako's hip to crash into the edge of the counter's surface. Recovering, Minako only caught a glimpse of dark hair escaping to where she knew Rei's bedroom lay. The pain in her hip throbbed, but it helped ground Minako. Following tentatively, she didn't have to search long to find Rei pacing back and forth, one hand firmly pressed against her forehead, still struggling against an internal fight Minako wanted nothing more than to help Rei win._

" _Rei…" Minako whispered, feeling stupid as she held her hands up displaying she had no weapons. She was pretty sure Rei couldn't summon her flaming mandala without transforming; however, she certainly kept an eye out for any ofuda scrolls she could be keeping handy. Perhaps it was wrong of her to think Rei could be so dangerous, but then again, this was uncharted territory for Minako._

_Rei spun around, and the one eye Minako was able to see shifted uneasily in its socket before narrowing in on her; for a moment, and only a moment, Minako thought her normally controlled and calm friend resembled something unearthly – non human. Though she knew Rei was looking at her… she didn't feel like Rei was ACTUALLY looking at her…_

" _Rei," Minako tried again, hoping her voice didn't portray just how afraid she was beginning to feel. "I'm not going to hurt you."_

_Rei bit out a crude laugh, "That's all you've ever done."_

_Minako inwardly winced at the cold words. All the same, Minako tried again, ignoring Rei's previous comment, "That's not true. I—"_

" _What is it you want?"_

_Minako didn't know how to answer and so remained silent. The question seemed to ask more than what Rei was leading her to believe._

" _Was all of Japan not enough?" Rei tried another question. Each word colder than the night's winter air._

_Minako was sure she felt the ground shifting beneath her and had to ensure her feet were indeed, still planted on the smooth wooden surface. Was all this really her fault? Should she have waited to announce her relocation? No, it just would have been worse the longer she waited to tell everyone. Minako couldn't tear her gaze away from Rei, because if she did, she would no longer believe it was actually Rei speaking these harsh words to her._

_Rei continued, still lost in the fray. "Is it because you can't love yourself, Minako? Is that why you steal the love of others and then disappear?"_

" _Stop." What Minako wanted to say was all the admirers in the world wouldn't be enough, because the only admirer she ever wanted was her. That perhaps this was true at one point, and then it was Rei who allowed her to start loving herself again after spending so many years alone, figuring out what it meant to be a guardian soldier._

_She almost said it too, but when she glanced once more into Rei's aura, she finally gained small insight for the very first time. There was a darkness not coating the other girl, yet emitting within and she wondered if these spoken words were perhaps Rei's insecurities. This was a darkness that Minako could only pray she wasn't the cause of. Never did Minako want to bring darkness into Rei's heart… she wanted to be her light. None of this was making sense… Minako didn't feel like she was listening to the very same teenaged girl that encouraged her so emphatically to follow her dreams of becoming an idol only a few years prior._

_But Rei didn't stop. She kept twisting her sharp words, making Minako's heart bleed even more. "Are all of your actions just endorsements to make you feel comfortable in your own skin?"_

" _Enough." Minako tried again, but knew her voice betrayed how weak she felt._

" _What you do is no better than the youma –"_

" _Just… Just shut up Rei!"_

"— _Cursed never to love and so she steals it from –"_

_But Rei didn't finish her sentence, because there was a sharp *clap* that interrupted her monologue. Minako, not having realized when she had squinted her eyes shut, opened them only to wonder when she had closed the wide gap between her and Rei. Her right palm was stinging painfully and Rei was no longer speaking, but staring away from her, Rei's cut cheek was speckled with red blotches, not blood from the cut, but from obviously enduring a blow. To say Rei looked surprised wouldn't be right… She looked as lost as how Minako felt, as if she was just tuning in, trying to piece together what had transpired only seconds ago. Rei was once again cradling her forehead and Minako lost her second sight which given her a glimps of Rei's aura earlier. Once again, she was blind, yet awfully aware of the length she had gone to silence the woman before her. She questioned her earlier assumption on whether or not Rei was voicing personal insecurities… because now, she was the one who felt her insecurities had been trampled over._

_Rei lowered herself onto the twin sized bed, and the movement startled Minako enough for her to accidently bump into the tiny dresser she was standing next to, toppling over a few of the picture frames and bottled perfumes. Minako's heart raced and she suddenly felt very warm and very sick. For some reason, the air was beginning to grow too thick for her to breathe. Minako took a moment to observe Rei, sitting quietly on the bed as if she had just been scolded, and didn't know who she felt more abhorred with… herself or Rei? Unwilling to answer the question and being unable to stand the other gir'ls presence any longer… Minako ran away. She dashed through broken shards of glass, bolted down the cold stone steps and continued running until she couldn't anymore._

* * *

Minako remembered once she had caught her breath, the only person she could think of calling was Saitou-san. Her manager questioned her relentlessly, very worried about her well-being. She had lied, of course, and said she'd almost been mugged and so the two discussed hiring a small security team; Minako was only trying to appease the man and eventually agreed to hire one bodyguard once she arrived overseas. The very next day, she had reported to the shrine, Minako didn't know if she returned to apologize or to demand an apology, but Rei was nowhere to be found. The entire senshi squad, Mamoru too, conducted a small search, all failing to locate the girl. Weeks had passed, and all agreed that Rei must have left behind the pressures of administering the shrine all alone and when she was ready, she would contact them. _Who would have thought it would take the girl four years to feel "ready"_ , she thought wryly.

She could hear the soft tune of her smartphone ringing from the bedroom, saving her from reminiscing even further about the damaged relationship. Minako sighed and left her spot on the balcony, having not written a single verse and began searching for her phone. It took longer than she expected to find the slim phone amongst the wrinkled sheets. Finally, she felt her way through the nest of fabric, only to stare suspiciously at the glowing letters spelling "Usagi". Minako decidedly accepted the fact that she would never feel the same trust with Usagi's number as she once had… and then felt she was being a little dramatic. It was just a phone number for christ sake.

Fighting the urge to ignore the call, Minako answered. "Hello…" she said suspiciously.

"Mina-chan! I've been calling for _hours!"_ Minako let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding. _Definitely not the neighborhood fire-breathing dragon,_ she thought, kind of liking the image it created in her head.

"I haven't even been away from my phone for hours." She grumbled, still annoyed with Usagi for letting Rei use Usagi's number under false pretenses… In her mind that's how she saw it at least.

Usagi was in far too good a mood to notice her poor attitude. "So, Rei's come back and we were talking about throwing a party…"

"Is that so?" Minako replied sarcastically.

"We're going to have it tonight because tomorrow's Sea day and Ami already said she's off and Makoto should be too, and I was wondering if you could provide the location." Usagi was rambling now," Papa has to be at work early, so Mama was going to come here to babysit Chibiusa—"

"I don't know, Usagi." No, no, no! Absolutely not! This was HER castle; even the knights of old knew you went to the _dragon's_ den in order to slay the dragon, not the other way around. That's basically inviting the dragon to blow up the fortress!

"You don't have tomorrow off? I mean, we could cut out early—"

Minako interrupted. "I do. I do have tomorrow off; it's just I might have to go in later tonight and there's nothing to eat here…" She was grappling for excuses and wished Usagi would just suggest another venue or, even better, forget the idea altogether. Rei was allotted four years to hide – couldn't she just get the weekend?

"Oh…"

Minako felt shitty. Rei had made her feel shitty and now Usagi was making her feel shitty and maybe she _was_ just an all-around selfish, shitty person. Though, she had to admit, Usagi was completely innocent in regard to making her feel bad. She hadn't mentioned the negative run in she and Rei had so many years ago to anybody. For consistency purposes, she should be plotting with Usagi this very second on how to get into Rei's pants, and maybe even a part of her still wanted to…

"Let me think about it?" Minako caught herself saying, hoping she didn't regret it.

"Text me, ok? Don't worry about food – I'm going to the store now and Makoto is bound to supply the sweets that you and I can't bake..."

The two ended their conversation and again, Minako was left with another roller coaster wave of emotions. There was no anger this time; however, but she was now more nervous than before. She was even getting a little jittery, like before walking on stage kind of jittery. It was probably appropriate, because if she were to invite the fire breathing dragon into her home, her sanctuary, the idol would have to put on her best performance yet to simply keep peace in the kingdom.

Ah dammit… she was going to give in and it hadn't even been a whole minute since Usagi called. At least she'd be able to do battle on her own turf, surrounded by the comforts of her home.

She grudgingly texted: "Cleared the schedule. Good to go."

Her only response was a pink emoji bunny wearing a party hat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter was a bit longer than usual, so for those looking for consistency; sorry about that! So... I have the next 5 chapters already written and I'm looking to see if I should continue the plot, or start wrapping things up. I'm looking to you guys if y'all think this is catching enough to be a longer fic, or if it's like... a certain series that needs to end lol. Looking forward to your thoughts and see you all next Friday! Feel free to PM me here, or chat with me tumblr: its-decido. Tchüss!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

With a great sigh of relief, Makoto slid her last baking sheet onto the industrial sized cooling rack and began her end of day routine. After shutting off all the ovens and warmers, the only chores left were to count the cash drawer and look over the job applications littering her office desk. She loved having no shortage of customer orders, but that in turn arose a need to seek out help. So, upon placing a part-time help wanted add in the paper, one after another, applications from high school and college students alike poured in. Now sat a stack of papers the size of a small tower on her desk; the papers still standing tall only due to her office plant's supporting it.

A small chiming sound, signaling a customer had entered her store, stopped Makoto just short of shutting down the register. "I'm sorry," she apologized, continuing to count her debit and credit receipts, "I close at three, but you're more than welcome to grab anything from the display tower. I can still ring you up—"

"Baker's hours sure are nice. Calling it a day before rush hour begins and all." A light, familiar voice said teasingly.

Makoto immediately recognized Ami's voice. Still continuing her methodical counting procedures, she snatched a glance at the shorter girl, who was indeed taking her advice and snatching a chocolate chip cookie from her display tower. Ami had her usual white coat tossed over her shoulder, probably unable to bear the jacket's warmth during the afternoon heat. Makoto felt slightly puzzled at the other girls sudden appearance. It was a rare occasion for Ami to visit her so early in the day, but she was nonetheless happy to see her friend.

Makoto placed her profits in a small felt bag, locked the cash drawer into the nearby small safe, and breezed past her friend to flip a "closed, sorry we missed you" sign on the entrance door. As she locked the glass door and closed the blinds, she responded to Ami's earlier comment.

"I've been saying for years now that you went into the wrong field. Who rationally chooses 12 – 16 hour shifts?" Makoto laughed.

Ami smiled, but chose to ignore her. "I hope you made extras." The blue haired girl said, stealing her second cookie; oatmeal this time.

Rolling her eyes at Ami's evasive tactics she said, "With friends like Usagi and Minako, I've learned to make an entire contingency reserve."

Ami's delightful giggles filled the empty bakery, and though Makoto enjoyed these rare visits, Makoto's curiosity finally got the better of her. "So is it safe to assume your visitation is more than just an opportunity to steal sweets?"

"I was in the neighborhood. Chibiusa's booster shot was today, you know?"

Makoto nodded, sensing there was more to Ami's visit than simply being in the neighborhood. Instead of rushing the other girl for answers, she took a seat at one of the many two-seater tables and silently offered the space across from her to Ami, who graciously accepted, but only after taking two more sugar cookies.

"I hope she didn't cry too much." Makoto stated, watching Ami carefully wrap the cookies with napkins and depositing them into her bag.

"Ha! Loud enough to wake the dead, if I had to guess. That little girl is certainly a force to be reckoned with…"

"Oh? I was talking about Usagi." She gave a toothy grin.

The two women shared a knowing look and enjoyed a hearty laugh. Soon thereafter; however, Ami steered them back to the light conversation. Clearly, small talk was not her reason for visiting. Seriously though, what was all this about?

"So, I need you to promise not to get mad." Ami said patiently.

_Well, this is certainly an interesting twist._ Makoto thought, but quickly refocused. "What do you mean, 'don't get mad'?"

"Just promise…" Ami rolled her eyes exasperatedly. _What the hell is this, some kind of verbal formality?_ It was getting harder not to take Ami's words personally. Was she known to be such an angry person?

"I won't get mad." Makoto said, perhaps a little too defensive, earning her "the eye" from Ami.

"Really, Makoto? Because I know how you are and you tend to get a little hot headed about certain things—"

"I wont get mad, alright!" Makoto said, blushing slightly at the accusations. Jeeze, she wasn't _that_ bad, was she? Regaining her composure, she then added, "I promise, ok? Just tell me what's going on."

Ami seemed to have been examining her, but only for a second before deciding to continue the discussion. "Like I said, today was Chibiusa's booster and Usagi had obviously been avoiding the appointment so I took it upon myself to clear my schedule and perform a house call."

"Was she ok?" Makoto asked, her heart starting to race, very worried for the child. "Is Chibiusa alright?"

"Yes, yes," Ami said waving her hand, as if to clear the air of her worry. "She still has a magnificent voice box and set of lungs."

Makoto, trying very hard to not let her impatience get the better of her, began bouncing her food against the wooden floor, attempting to release the nervous energy that was slowly starting to build inside. "Then _what_ happened!?"

Again, Makoto could feel Ami debating if she should follow through with telling her the scoop. The anticipation was killing her! The baker made a visible effort to calm her now spiked nerves, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in the wooden chair. Finally, after _eternity_ , Ami spoke, but she couldn't believe her ears.

"Rei was there."

There was a pause, and Makoto just stared at Ami, who was now fishing in her bag for the cookies she had stashed earlier. Now she saw why Ami had made her promise not to get mad. When Rei Hino had disappeared all those years ago, Makoto was quite furious with her. In Makoto's mind, all of the sailor senshi were incredibly close, inseparable even. She had willingly put her life on the line, at least once, for every single one of her comrades; therefore, she expected a damn explanation as to why one of them would just abandon them all of a sudden. In lieu of giving into anger, Makoto decided to instead focus again on why Ami was here in her shop. She wondered why Ami deemed this worthy of a face – to – face meeting. Of course, Makoto agreed, this was certainly big news, bigger than a text by far, but more than a phone call?

Makoto took a calming deep breath, determined to honor her word. "So Usagi was stashing her?"

Ami was munching again, simply giving her a hum of approval.

"For how long?"

"She just got in this morning, apparently."

There were so many questions Makoto wanted answered, but Ami probably knew only slightly more than she did. Besides, she wanted to hear most of these answers from the runaway herself.

"So, what's eating you then?" The baker asked.

Ami stopped her nibbling, wrapping the cookie and returned it to her bag. "What do you mean?" Ami was rather good at feigning innocence, she had to admit.

"Well," Makoto said knowingly, "Usagi eats sweets because she's a glutton, and Minako when she's bored. Rei can only handle a little sugar at a time so when she does it's usually for a special occasion; but you, my dear Ami… _you_ horde my desserts when something's bothering you."

The explanation elicited a small smile and Ami's cheeks flushed from having been caught. She finally confided, "I'm afraid I was rather cold to her when we spoke."

"Rei you mean?" Makoto asked incredulously. In her opinion, Rei needed far more than the "cold shoulder treatment". Then again, Ami's cold shoulder could be truly frightening at times… erm… all of the time actually.

"Look, it's best that you got to her before I or Mina did." Makoto tried to cheer her friend up. "I would have done something stupid and Mina… well you know how upset she was. Usagi is probably just acting like nothing happened… It really is best that you spoke to her first."

Ami absently nodded and shifted her gaze to stare between the cracks in the window blinds and out into the street. She had such a horrible habit of over analyzing situations; Makoto couldn't imagine how exhausting that must be.

"I'm guessing this is why Usagi has been spamming my phone with mentions of a celebration tonight." Makoto started again, wanting to lighten the air a bit.

"Probably."

"What did you two discuss?" She probed gently. Makoto didn't want to push into Ami's business, but at the same time she knew the only way to help her feel better was to talk about the actual problem.

"Where she had been, why she had gone…" Ami recalled.

"Well, what did you find out?"

"She went to Kazuno, her mother's old property apparently," Ami returned from gazing beyond the window to looking adamantly at Makoto, "but what's weird is that she can't remember the moment before she left." Ami said. Makoto could tell Ami was concerned.

When Minako had reported Rei's absence, she was torn up, crying, yet evasive as hell. They had all questioned her, but all she ever said was Rei was simply upset and she couldn't find her.

"I told her to speak with Minako if she wanted help regaining her memories. I now question whether that was wise…" Ami said quietly.

"You didn't tell her how upset Minako was?"

"No," Ami bit her lower lip, "I didn't think it was my place to do so."

"Ah, I see." She nodded, feeling like she finally understood.

Ami had a tendency to overthink her actions far too extensively; the poor girl's head was probably turning this decision over and over again since the second she uttered it. Makoto meant what she said earlier; about Rei being lucky it was Ami who had scolded her first. Makoto truly didn't know how she would have reacted if it had been she.

"I believe you did your best, and I would stand by your decision." The baker gave her worried friend the brightest smile she could manage.

"Yeah?" Ami clearly needing the reassurance.

"Yeah."

"Mind if I stay here a bit? Maybe catch a ride to Mina's with you?"

Somehow, Makoto managed to pull a small smile from Ami. A loud scraping sound disrupted their warm silence as Makoto stood from her seat. As she walked around the table, patting Ami lightly with her bag of profits.

"C'mon, let's go make some welcome home treats for our little runaway."

* * *

Her heart was puttering away in her chest and Rei's only solace was knowing Ami would be around to resuscitate her if need be, that is, if the good doctor wasn't still upset with their earlier run in. Suddenly, the elevator she and Usagi were sharing shifted to a stop. The small _ding_ emitting from the overhead speaker was enough to startle her. _I mean, who really needs to live this lavishly…_ Rei thought, latching on to any petty criticism she could wrap her mind around in order to avoid a nervous breakdown.

"Something wrong, Rei?" Usagi asked, a little too smug for her taste.

"I have never felt better." Rei grumbled in response, but made sure to articulate every word.

Dammit, she wished she could stop shifting around, but Usagi wouldn't quit looking at her and it just made her all the more uncomfortable. She greatly suspected the odango head was reading into her every miniscule movement, escalating her discomfort even further. Both women exited the posh elevator and had to walk a very small distance before arriving at a door she assumed belonged to Minako Aino, Japanese idol, international star, and sweetheart to all… except to shrine maids who clearly suck at telephone communication…

The two women stood side by side as Usagi rapped a cute beat against the wooden door. Rei shifted the plastic bag of chips and salsa to her other hand, another unnecessary movement, and it caught Usagi's attention yet again.

"Rei." Usagi leaned over and whispered, distracting her from the thumping footsteps she faintly heard approaching. "Just remember, if you run… Mako is still very athletic. She will catch you."

Dumbfounded, Rei knew not what to say to the idle threat hanging in the air. She didn't have any intentions of bolting… well maybe she entertained the idea, but she damn sure didn't now. Suddenly, the portal to all that was Minako Aino swung open, snapping her incredulous stare away from Usagi. Before her stood a grinning Ami, who greeted her in a far better manner than the last time the two had spoken. She gently grabbed the plastic bags of goodies from her hand. Before Rei even had the chance to enter the doorway, Usagi thumped her palm harshly between her shoulder blades, causing Rei to stumble into the doorway. Shit, she really wasn't off to a good start here and what little confidence she had managed between now and noon was quickly dissipating.

Ami waited patiently as Usagi and Rei removed their shoes and hung their bags. As Usagi pranced away, probably seeking out wherever their karaoke stage was located, Rei couldn't help but observe the luxurious surroundings. The foyer resembled a high-end hotel, but Rei noticed small accents amongst the modern furniture that illustrated Minako did indeed have a hand in designing the penthouse. Pictures of major European landmarks adorned the walls, giving notice to her love of the west. A slightly battered pair of sneakers were shoved in the corner as well, and oddly enough, Rei felt a little more at ease and… familiar, for lack of a better term.

"Are you feeling alright?" Ami's soft voice touched her ears.

Rei didn't know exactly what she was feeling, but answered positively anyways. "Never better." She put on her best smile, "Nice to see you again."

She tried to continue further into the finely decorated home, but was stopped as Ami tugged her sleeve. "Mina is about to release a new album; you should ask about it. Makoto made you cupcakes and would prefer not to bring up your… absence. Eat no fewer than four cakes and compliment each one as if you're tasting heaven itself." The girl then paused briefly before continuing. "And yes… me and you… we're fine." Ami smiled again, giving Rei all the reassurance she needed to start believing she may actually get through this night alive.

As she and Ami entered the living area, Rei couldn't help but smile at the sight she beheld. Poor Makoto was stuck lugging around box speakers that seemed to date back to the early 90s while Minako sat, barely visible, behind the entire giant entertainment center mumbling curses in both Japanese and English as she struggled with old, color faded wires. Usagi, on the other hand, seemed completely at peace, laying belly down on the sofa opposite from the other two girls; she was happily sorting through brightly colored cassette and cd cases, creating categorical piles only Usagi herself would be able to distinguish no doubt.

"Hey everybody," Ami announced, "Rei's here."

"Great." The brunette growled out as Minako once again ordered her to reposition the box speaker. "Tell her to get over here and help. We're about to be one senshi short if Minako shocks herself again."

"Oh, will you just let it go? I'm pretty sure I've got it this time." Minako bit out.

Rei, hoping to rid her anxiety by feeling useful, treaded softly to where Mina was obviously struggling with the wiring behind the set; however, upon reaching her destination, she found that Minako was far less forgiving than everyone else. She could feel the tension and instinctively braced herself.

Without even looking at her, Minako greeted her stiffly. "Mars."

Unable to stop herself, Rei quirked a brow at the strange formality. "Hello, Minako. How are you?"

Minako completely ignored her inquiry, irking Rei more than it should have. "You can wait with Usagi. I'm almost done."

Rei skeptically looked at the many cords littering the floor and the irritated scowls on Makoto's face. Makoto was clearly getting tired of shifting audio equipment around and having no results to show for it. Minako was most certainly _not_ "almost done". Rei would bet money that if Minako didn't electrocute herself first, Makoto would most certainly make it happen very soon. _Kami, help me… this is going to be a long night._

"I'd rather help." Rei politely countered, concern growing for both Makoto's temper and Minako's well being.

"Well," Minako gritted her teeth, struggling with a cord, "sometimes we don't always get what we –"

"Give her a damn wire!" Makoto aggressively grunted, interrupting Minako harshly, and causing both Rei and Minako to jump at the startling command. Rei made another mental note to make sure she complimented Makoto's desserts; her temper definitely hasn't changed over the years.

Rei sighed, failing to mask her aggravation with Minako, "C'mon, Mina. For efficiency's sake, let me help you."

Unfortunately, Minako was not going to willingly accept the offer, or perhaps she just enjoyed being difficult, Rei could never tell.

"For efficiency's sake, huh?" Minako asked in mock consideration and then, rather unceremoniously, scooped up the stray cords only to have them dumped in Rei's lap. "Let's hope this efficiency of yours doesn't take four years to finish, neh?"

Unwilling to work together, Minako joined Usagi atop the sofa and began sifting through the piles of boldly colored plastic cases. Rei was sure Makoto and Ami were feeling uncomfortable with the little spat she and Minako had started, but no longer cared. She quickly plugged in the outdated audio equipment, trying not to grit her teeth in response to Minako's poor attitude. She always managed to get under her skin, so why would tonight be any different?

Makoto and Rei eventually sorted out the audio set up, but instead of joining the others atop the plush sofa she sat on the floor next to a recliner that Ami currently occupied. There were other seating options, of course - bar stools, accent chairs… even a chaise lounge – but Ami was currently her sole ally and she didn't know who Makoto was pitching in with. _Of course_ , she grimly observed both Usagi and Minako giggling and glancing at her, _those two have doubled up…_

Suddenly, the aforementioned fiends jumped to their feet. Makoto, stared at them curiously from the bar stool she occupied and Ami grinned in excitement, enjoying their energy. Rei, very wary of both Usagi and Minako, eyed them suspiciously.

Coughing to clear her voice, Minako spoke. "Sailor Mars, your absence did not go unnoticed, and though we are all gathered here to celebrate your return", Rei's annoyance was rising at the faux disciplinary tone Minako was taking, "it is my duty as senshi leader to ensure that you are duly disciplined."

Not really registering what she was doing, Rei rose to her feet, facing off with the cocky blonde. "Duly disciplined, huh? I was unaware we had such procedures in place."

"Well, it is not every day one of us decides to skip town, so Usagi and I had to make it up on the fly." Minako said, closing her eyes and smiling sweetly. Her words stung slightly, but as masochistic as it sounded, Rei was sort of thankful for it. It was like the two were shifting back into place, biting and snapping at each other. She latched on to her rekindled fiery temper and its sense of normalcy. She missed how Minako teasingly pushed her annoyance as far as it could go. Minako's smile made her feel like she was drinking a far too sweet alcoholic beverage; like one of those drinks you just know will give you a headache later. Yet, none the less, as fake as the smile was, she continued drinking it in.

Before Rei could present a counter argument, not that she had one prepared anyways, Usagi cut in. "Rei Hino, you owe us all an apology!" Rei arched her eyebrows at Usagi's intrusion in her and Minako's stand off. She couldn't tell if Usagi was scolding her or just whining.

Rei grinned, remembering Usagi's earlier words. "I thought you didn't want any apologies, Usagi." Damn, she really was getting off on this. The idea of verbally duking it out with the two blondes brought on such a sense of nostalgia.

"Yeah… but that was—"

"I would!" Makoto interrupted, or maybe saved, Usagi from having to explain. _Well, at least I know who you threw your chips in with,_ Rei thought sourly.

"As you deserve, my dear Jovian!" Minako encouraged, as though Rei were on trial and she was the prosecuting lawyer. To top things off, Usagi was giving a "here, here!".

Rolling her eyes Rei finally halted her semi assault, mostly because she didn't particularly want to take on Makoto's wrath. She sighed, "And do tell, fearless leader. What is this 'punishment'?" Rei carefully stared straight ahead instead of glancing worriedly down at the massive bottles of alcohol littering the coffee table.

"Oh, Reiko, if it's punishment you want—"

"Can you just get on with it!" She snapped, fighting a terrible blush. She glared at the still grinning Minako who had now crossed her arms defensively.

"You're going to sing for us Rei-chan!" Usagi said proudly.

Feeling slightly better, Rei regained a bit of confidence. "Well, yes… It is a karaoke party. Is that all?" She was questioning the idol more so than the princess, ready for some catch to it all.

"Mina and I decided you're going to sing a song for each of us as apology. We get to choose the song. You also have to do one after the other…" Usagi continued to count conditions off on her fingers, but Rei was no longer listening. No, she was too busy glaring flaming arrows at Minako, who was innocently picking at her nails. She highly doubted Usagi had much to do with this plan of retribution, guessing the idol fabricated around eighty percent of it.

"Maybe that's a little harsh," Ami said, probably sensing her discomfort. _Thank you, sweet Ami…_

"Yeah," Minako said, surprising the shit out of Rei. "You're probably right."

"What! But you said—" Usagi started to complain, but Minako cut the other blonde off.

"Look, if Rei can't handle owning up to what she did," The idol tried to console Usagi, but continued looking at Rei, "who are we to force it?"

Rei seethed. She knew she was being baited. Minako is a very spoiled little thing, incredibly skilled at getting what she wanted, but the problem was that she didn't know what Minako wanted. Natural instincts demanded she rebelled, but again… she didn't know what to rebel against! Was she supposed to give in and take the easy way out that was given to her? Why would Minako give her an opportunity to run away from her "punishment"? Unless… she _wanted_ her to run away….

Feeling determined, Rei broke the seal on the vodka bottle, poured a shot's worth in one of the plastic cups, and downed it for courage. She squinted her eyes at the stinging taste and her lips prickled from the clear substance. Oh, how she hated the way this shit tasted, but the surprised look on both of the blonde's faces was the only chaser she needed. Surely it would all be worth it in the end. Makoto's "atta girl!" also helped inflate her ego. If Minako wanted to play war, then fine. But by all rights… playing war was what her entire existence was known for.

Rei grinned, "So, who's first?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter… next chapter is gonna be fun!
> 
> Thanks for all the reviews. You guys… it seriously warms my heart!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:**

Usagi eyes had widened at Rei's attempt to quickly down the beverage. "You're the only person I know who treats having fun as if it was a chore, Rei-chan."

Seeing that simply squinting her eyes wasn't chasing away the vodka's stinging taste, Rei began, not too frantically, to search for Makoto's promised sweets – a tried and true method of chasing away any horrid taste, ranging from distasteful medicine to Usagi's and Minako's cooking.

"You and I both have vastly different ideas of what 'fun' is." She managed to bite out without much difficulty.

Usagi snappily replied to her earlier comment. "Well, _excuse_ me for wanting to experience more to life than sweeping and scowling."

"Oh, yes…" Rei said testily after biting into the sweet cake, thankfully chasing away the shot's taste, and dusting her hands free of crumbs, "smelly canned beer and watching you vomit it all up is exactly the experience I've been missing all these years. Very queenly I might add."

Sadly, of all the dreadful activities Rei had anticipated for the night, she was fully prepared to consume massive quantities of liquor. After several years of having tempted alcohol poisoning, usually at the whim of Usagi's or Minako's party games, Rei had inadvertently become a seasoned veteran at surviving games such as "have you ever" and "shot-poker".

Rei's snarky comment awarded her a quickly stifled laugh from Makoto, as well as a bristling blushing Usagi. Minako was fooling around with her phone, but Rei suspected she was smartly staying out of the conversation on purpose, avoiding Usagi's wrath or just Rei in general. She didn't know and didn't want to give too much thought to it anyways. Smugness washed over her at seeing Usagi's flustered attitue; Rei had to admit, she did miss, at the very least, teasing Usagi and her bad habits.

The affronted Usagi bunched her hands into fists and leaned forward, visibly readying for their usual verbal throw down and Rei crossed her arms in defense; however, always the peacekeeper, Ami quickly spoke up before Usagi could unleash whatever ammunition she held at the ready.

"I have a request," Ami interrupted the two, "if you're ready."

Instantly the bantering ceased, catching both Usagi and Rei's attention. It was impressive how easily their most mildly mannered friend could control a room. Definitely a talent Rei wished she possessed, as there were numerous occasions when their gatherings interrupted her moments of meditation or fire readings. Usagi supplied one last huff and returned to her post of plastic CD cases littering the sofa.

 _And so it begins,_ Rei thought solemnly, but still determined to ensure her friends received the apology they asked for. She still had her arms crossed over her chest, not being able to feel one hundred percent confident. The clacking of plastic echoed in her ears as she desperately resisted the urge to stand on her tiptoes and pear over Ami's and Usagi's shoulders as they sifted through the CD cases.

"Found it." Ami said brightly, handing an album to Usagi, who had apparently taken lead position of karaoke operator, before returning to the armchair that Ami was previously occupying.

Grudgingly giving into curiosity, Rei casually tried casting a sideways glance in the direction towards the root of her growing anxiety but sadly couldn't get a good look. What she did manage to catch was Usagi rolling her eyes and muttering something about being "boring" and Minako leaning overlooking equally nonplussed. Whatever the song was, Rei instantly loved Ami for the seemingly superb, and reputation saving, selection. She couldn't begin to guess what Ami normally jammed to; she only prayed her preferences didn't revolve around the current teen idol music that saturating the market today. That in itself would serve as a small blessing.

"What did you choose?" Makoto asked while claiming a spot next to Usagi, curling her slender legs beneath her, settling in for the upcoming "shit show" as Rei began affectionately dubbing it. The brunette was, no doubt, also very curious at Usagi's and Minako's lack of enthusiasm.

Ami smiled sheepishly. "'I will walk while looking up' by Kyu Sakamoto."

"Oh, I like that one!" The baker encouraged.

"But Rei always sings this one…" Minako sighed while grumbling in response. Rei stifled her own eye roll at the remark. How far were the two willing to push her from her comfort zone?

"I know," Ami explained, "but I really want to hear her sing it. It's a very pretty song."

"It's a sad song." Usagi whined.

"There isn't a rule against playing this one." Rei cut through Usagi's protest. It was obvious that Ami was tossing her a life raft and Rei was going to grapple for it if she had to.

Having no other choice, and probably wishing she had added further stipulations to their arrangement, Usagi brushed passed her to insert the disk. The old player hummed and after the pigtailed blonde located the track, the casual music filled the room. Rei on the other hand felt elated and was still beaming. Truth be told, she actually _wanted_ to perform this tune. The oldie but goodie was a favorite of hers and she knew it by heart. The single was introduced to her when she was incredibly young, maybe four or five years old. She and Grandpa would sing it together regularly after he had first convinced her younger shy self to sing karaoke with him at the senior center. This in turn solicited hundreds of coos from the elderly audience, always angering the tiny girl and yet delighting her grandfather all the same.

So in turn, when Rei had first been dragged to Usagi's karaoke parties, she always performed it to boost her confidence; the song had become sort of a reassuring constant in her life. As a matter of fact, Minako probably commandeered that exact album from her long ago; Minako was really quite the klepto, thinking back on it now…

Being a hit single in the sixties and now a Japanese/international classic, all the girls knew the song well and bobbed their heads along with it. Rei couldn't keep from grinning as she sang, watching her fellow senshi resembling the old coots and broads her grandpa befriended at the senior center decades earlier. As she finished up the short tune, Rei made a mental note to "borrow" the disk back some time in the near future.

After finishing the tune, Rei performed a bow in response to the small applause that reached her ears. The night was proving not to be so bad and she was, at least, maintained good will with three out of four of her fellow guardians. Her rising hopes; however, were stunted as she rose from her bow, having Usagi holding another shot of clear liquid hell waiting for her.

Not willing to argue, Rei bought herself a few extra seconds and swirled the liquid around a few times before she downed shot number two, reliving the familiar warm sting, only this time she swore her teeth and gums were going numb in protest. _Yeuck… next time I'm demanding we play shot trivial pursuit. Usagi will be long passed out and Minako too, as long as we avoid anything pertaining to pop-culture._ Ami, as always, would play as game moderator to keep things fair.

Resulting back to her previous coping method, Rei snatched up one of Makoto's breaded snacks. "Mako," she said as an afterthought, "These are really good." Though Ami had given her advice on how to win back the baker's heart, she wholeheartedly meant the compliment.

Makoto smiled widely, always eager to receive feedback regarding her edible creations. "Actually, Ami made them. I just walked her through the steps."

"But it was your recipe." Ami noted.

Makoto brushed her hand behind her head and played with her ponytail, looking bashful.

"I'm told you have a shop now." Rei continued. She was partially trying to buy some more time, wanting to wait for the beverage and food to settle in her stomach before jumping up again, but mostly Rei was just honestly curious at what Makoto had been up to during her years away from Tokyo.

"Yes!" Makoto obviously wasn't bashful about this particular topic, "You'll have to stop by sometime. I branched out into catering too."

"Like weddings?"

"Well, it started with weddings but—"

"Minako monopolizes her for events" Ami said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, you act as if I enslaved her!" Minako removed her attention from her phone and playful tossed a cushion at a laughing Ami who just barely managed to catch it. The small outburst almost made Rei jump in surprise at having heard Minako speak at all. Other than laying out the rules of the game, she hadn't really involved herself with anything. She seemed to be in her own little word, sipping beverages and checking her mobile device. The unusually quiet attitude unnerved Rei but considering the alternative attitude she could be receiving… well… who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth?

"You practically did!" Usagi instantly inserted. "I had to compete with you for the date of small lady's baby shower!"

"It is not slavery!" Minako insisted. "It's called staking claims." Minako placed her hands behind her head, looking all sorts of entitled, and displayed a playfully stern sideways glance at the baker. "Neh, Mako-chan, I still can't believe you told on me."

Makoto motioned apologetically, "It wasn't me, Mina. Usagi stormed in the shop and pirated away my booking sheets. She created a huge scene in front of my customers, calling you all sorts of unflattering names I'd rather not mention… It was all really embarrassing, to tell ya the truth."

Rei laughed at the rekindled feud sparking between Usagi and Minako while having poor Makoto in the middle of it all. She tentatively looked at Minako, noticing she was in a far better mood than earlier. "You tried to steal her baby shower date, Mina?" It was a rarity to have the blondes turn on each other, and she'd be damned if she didn't milk it for all it was worth.

Minako waved her accusation away, still in the throes of retelling her side of the story. The gesture was reminiscent of how Minako treated all idol gossip and misunderstandings. "There was an event that just happened to be on the same day and it wasn't even _our_ baby shower." She added that last part briskly, causing Rei to quirk her brow. "The one Usagi's talking about was being thrown by her old office mates."

Rei nodded her head, not really following why Minako deemed herself innocent, but nonetheless appreciating how cute she looked, arms crossed and unrelenting. Minako was irrefutable, ready to defend her position on why only the senshi's party for the babe mattered and to hell with the rest of Usagi's other family and friends. _Maybe_ _I can get behind that,_ Rei thought, _all things considered._ The group had been through a fair amount of hardship together, making them incredibly close - closer than what the word "family" could describe, but nonetheless would have to suffice. There was doubtfully a word any language could supply that'd truly describe the relationship they all held with one another.

"And then, do you know what Mako does?" Minako was really getting into it now, still too lost in the memory of it all to probably even notice she was acting civil with Rei.

Rei supplied a fetching look of feigned curiosity, not wanting to ruin the moment. Honestly, she was no longer that interested in the dispute, more so just enjoying the scene before her, particularly captured by the emotions molding Minako's facial features. Minako's eyes were finally getting their glow back and Rei would wager it was possibly the most authentic moment the two had exchanged all night.

Minako continued, apparently pleased with having claimed everyone's attention. "She decided it would be 'civil' to decline both of our service requests and took on some stranger's instead!"

"Makoto, you fiend!" Rei exclaimed to the baker who seemed to be regretting her decision of sitting next to Usagi who was playfully shooting daggers at her.

Rei couldn't contain herself any longer and burst out laughing, knowing this cute story was probably a very big deal to a previously suffering-from-pregnancy-hormones Usagi, which in turn gave Minako giggling fits. Both Rei and Minako crossed glances for a split second before Minako returned behind her mask of diplomacy and pleasant smiles, excusing herself for a restroom break. Increasing concern gripped Rei's stomach. At the rate they were going, the two would never be able to discuss the events that eluded her memory, and what's more, she had guess that the content of her missing memories might be what was holding the two women back from moving forward. Rei looked after Minako's retreating form, _you really aren't going to forgive me that easily, are you_?

"Enough," Makoto whined, not enjoying the earlier spat at all, and held up an album. "I made my choice now."

Rei returned from her funk and waited expectantly for Usagi to announce the request. Usagi gazed far too intently at the multicolored case Makoto had given her; Rei guessed it was to add a bit of dramatization to it all. Usagi flipped the album over to further exam it and then became immediately pleased. Unlike the first request, Rei was now either too troubled with Minako's attitude or just overall too intoxicated to really care.

"I remember this!" Usagi announced to the room, nodding her head in satisfaction. "This is acceptable Makoto. You have pleased me and have henceforth been awarded my forgiveness for your earlier disloyalty."

Makoto simply replied with a sour "uh huh".

Usagi handed over the case to Rei so she could also perform a quick study of Makoto's musical choice while Usagi fiddled with the player again, exchanging disks. The single Rei was to perform was by a female singer she couldn't quite place, but knew the song all the same. It was one of those 'one hit wonders' that saturated ring tones, when they became a thing, and radio stations all across Japan during the start of the new millennium. Overall, the piece wouldn't be too difficult to perform, as she remembered most of the verses, but the chorus would definitely work out her vocals, that she knew for certain. Her time in Kazuno allowed Rei more time than needed to calm her psyche, but other than mandatory social interactions, Rei hadn't really worked her vocal cords more than what soft humming and shower solos provided. It would be a surprise if she got through the entire night without croaking like a frog.

* * *

Minako pinched the bridge of her nose, all the while twisting the smooth faucet handle within the powder room she had retreated to. Cold water rushed into the white porcelain sink and using her free hand, she trickled cool water below her ears and all the way to the nape of her neck. The apartments air conditioner simply couldn't compete with the warm summer night combined with the entire inner senshi squad residing in her living room. It was a space that hardly fit them all comfortably to begin with, in her opinion. The again, the vodka she had been downing since she committed to hosting the damned party wasn't helping either.

She dried her still damp hand not with the soft yellow wash towel hanging on the adjacent wall, but instead by running it though her bangs, replacing the usually fluffy strands with a rather unflattering cowlick. It was a habit she knew that stemmed from feelings of anxiety and she instantly regretted it, glaring at her hair's ruffled reflection, yet knowing perfectly well she didn't have the patience to correct the out of place locks.

Needless to say, Minako was simply not happy with having Rei re-inserted into her daily living. Even though it had been years since the incident had taken place, she wasn't ready to face her after their horrible last encounter, let alone willing to discuss it. Before her friends' arrival, she truly had every intention of being polite and sociable. How hard could it be? Rei was practically her right hand in battle - sure they were nearly polar opposites, but there was, no doubt, an unspoken connection the two shared. In theory, it would be easier conversing with Rei compared to the struggle she experienced daily with "creative" producers and money hungry executives, but, alas, every time she looked at the girl, her blood boiled; reliving every nasty little comment that grated against her skin the last time they saw each other in person.

Topping it all, she _knew_ Rei was going to want to talk about the exchange. The thought of having to recall the dirty details was becoming more and more overwhelming with every passing second, so she simply planned to avoid Rei, as if the other guardian were harboring a plague of some sort, and pray that Rei would pass out before she had a moment alone with her. Admittedly, it wasn't her best plan… _At least it's definitely not my worst,_ Minako thought, feeling content with whatever small comfort that fact provided.

All of the worrying and stress over facing Rei and pleasing her other party guests were making her temples ache. Suddenly, the space she occupied seemed too small. Her unflattering bangs were annoying her more than it should, but when she tried looking somewhere other than the mirror, insignificant details like inconsistencies in the wallpaper pattern or a small chip in the bathroom tile caused her to feel equally uncomfortable and… displaced, for lack of a better term. Minako began to pace, swiping at her phone, constantly reloading her email only to be disappointed. It was a holiday weekend, after all, and there were no new messages available to save her from the hell of anxiety she was trapped in.

Feeling exasperated, and at the same time paranoid that her friends were starting to become suspicious with her absence, Minako inhaled an impressive meditative breath of not-so-fresh air, flashed a Minako-worthy bright smile at her reflection… and sat her ass right on the countertop to begin playing a cute little Sailor V game app Choco had downloaded on her phone ages ago. _Maybe I should get a new catchphrase,_ she thought sourly while tapping away at the animations on her phone, _I'll do away with "love and beauty" and insert "champion of avoiding your personal shit"._ Minako was decidedly more than willing to stay locked away in the cramped space, so long as she could continue ignoring the world and her problems.

Well… that _was_ the case, until she heard a chorus of crashing and thumping.

Gritting her teeth and fighting the urge to ignore whatever occurring chaos that would surely cause complaints from her downstairs neighbors, Minako shoved her phone in her pocket and briskly returned to the party scene.

"Gimme that!" Usagi yelled, snatching a CD case away from a very annoyed looking Rei, who was previously trying to load a new disk in the player. "You're stalling."

"I'm not stalling." Rei countered with a bite of annoyance lacing her tone and brushed a few stray locks of hair behind her ear. In Usagi's defense, she probably was stalling, knowing Rei's lack of fondness regarding social events and all. "You're just impatient!" Rei tried snatching the disk back, but failed as Usagi wildly tried avoiding her, knocking down another four-foot pile of audio CDs.

 _Forget complaints_ , Minako looked on in horror as the drunk odango head accidently stepped on a few cases, causing them to snap under the pressure, _I'm going to get evicted. I'll have to spend months finding another flat that'll accept pets, and I'll have to listen to Artemis rant about not being a 'pet' while doing it…_ Reminiscing of the previous nightmarish event that she and her feline guarding endured started to make her stomach turn.

It was plainly obvious that Usagi was now incredibly drunk, more so than herself at the very least, as she almost dove head first into the entertainment set, thrusting Minako from her thoughts – thoughts of whether or not she could buy her downstairs neighbor's patience. Minako clumsily lunged forward to grab Usagi's forearm and employing her quick reflexes, she was able to snatch Usagi back upright. She'd be damned if Usagi fatally injured herself during karaoke after all the shit they had battled against thus far.

What would be worse? Explaining Usagi's death to Mamoru or listening to Haruka's monologue about their failure to keep the queen safe. Minako searched for Makoto and Ami to help her steady the over agitated Usagi, but both girls were nowhere to be found.

"You're too drunk. Go sit down." Rei commanded, glaring at Usagi, though Minako knew Rei was simply keeping a close eye on the Usagi, ready to catch her if need be.

Really, it was astonishing when you think about it. Rei was already crouched and in position to act if called on, and what further surprised her was the subtle movements the other girl made in response to her own. If there really were moments when they truly synchronized, it was, without a doubt, while defending Usagi, their friends, or each other. She wondered if Rei was always so aware of their surroundings, or if maybe this connection they had was something more than battle awareness. Once upon a time, Minako would have yearned for the latter idea.

Usagi stuck her tongue out. "Maybe you're just not drunk enough Rei. Did you even drink at all?"

"Neh? You can't count? I thought your math scores didn't start going down until you hit junior high, not the start of grammar school."

Usagi opened her mouth to reply but Minako interrupted them both. "I don't hear any singing…" she chirped while trying very hard not to grit her teeth at their childishness. She knew if the two were allowed to continue bantering, Rei would never finish her end of the deal, which meant the damned night would never end, because then Rei would be too stubborn to leave the stupid challenge unfinished…

"That's because Rei—" Usagi began but was interrupted by Makoto, who had returned from the balcony with Ami trailing behind.

"Did we miss anything?" She asked.

"Usagi almost died, but we're good now." Minako casually stated, ignoring Usagi's slurred contradiction of "did not". It's not like it was the first time something along those lines had actually occurred, anyways.

Miraculously both Makoto and Ami simply nodded and returned to their seats. "Did you get the player working?" Ami asked Rei, curling back into the recliner.

"The disk was too scratched." Rei responded, crossing her legs on the floor in front of the player, "Usagi doesn't take care of her CDs very well." She grinned, lightly poking fun again.

"That's not true!" Usagi whined, tears nearly reaching her eyes as she held the plastic case tightly against her chest.

Usagi was definitely more upset that she wasn't getting her way more so than being on the receiving end of Rei's teasing. When Usagi planned an event, she tended to become testy if it didn't go her way; sort of like the whole baby shower incident mentioned earlier…

Minako sighed and gently pried the single away from the nearly crying woman. Upon removing the disk, it was easy to see that the CD was more than a little "gently used".

"Eh..." Minako tried to console the crybaby queen, "I don't think she's making it up, Usa-chan."

Sniffling, Usagi gingerly took the precious disk away from Minako's grasp and placed it back into its protective casing.

"Why don't you choose another song?" Ami suggested, most likely wanting to avoid a water works show as much as the next senshi.

Rei, to Minako's surprise, grudgingly encouraged as well, "Yeah, just choose another one. It's not like you lost your turn."

"B-but I wanted this one…" Usagi was starting to hiccup now, from wanting to cry or from being intoxicated Minako couldn't tell.

Minako tried to smile reassuringly at Usagi, but pieces of her were becoming impatient, wanting nothing more than for the night to just run its course. Usagi's cheeks were blushed from having drank too much and her attitude was becoming poorer by the second. Now, this isn't to say that Usagi was usually an obnoxious, crybaby drunk. Usagi was just an obnoxious _emotional_ drunk, so whatever she felt, currently sadness apparently, was magnified tenfold. At the pace this was going, not only would she have to spend the rest of the night avoiding Rei, but she would have to suffer through an emotionally hijacked Usagi as well, a feat only Mamoru should have to endure.

"You should totally save your turn for later," Minako interjected in an expertly disguised emphatic tone hiding her real dread. This was enough to spark Usagi's interest, hook-line-and-sinker. "Ya know, like a rain check."

Usagi sniffled, "Rain check?"

"Yeah!" Minako continued, feeling rather smug as a mischievous glint returned to Usagi's blue eyes. "Like… you should save it until there's a karaoke event at the mall or something."

"I didn't agree to that!" Rei snapped but was promptly ignored, as Usagi had returned to her usual giddy self and pranced her way to the sofa, most likely envisioning the idea. Minako had to admit - the vision was quite entertaining.

Minako followed, demanding Usagi scoot over so she could begin pouring over the small castle of CDs. If Usagi was forfeiting her turn… Well, Minako certainly didn't have any reason to stretch this game out any longer. Soon, she knew from experience, a domino effect would ensue. Usagi would be passing out from ingesting too much food and drink. Ami would be the good samaritan, wanting to tote the girl home to safety and familiarity. This, in turn, would require Makoto's strength. Lastly, Rei would not have any choice but to catch a ride with Makoto back to Usagi's house; she was banking on this last crucial detail. Thus, Minako would have successfully protected her castle from the evil dragon that is Rei Hino! _Maybe I'm also a little drunk,_ Minako hesitated in thought, imagining a red and black dragon with incredibly pretty amethyst eyes…

"Ah!" Usagi squealed, interrupting Minako's comical thoughts of orange knights and black dragons, "You should choose this one!"

Before bringing her attention to Usagi, Minako caught Rei rolling her eyes in response to their conspiring, all while fighting a yawn. There was no doubt that Rei felt none too thrilled as she waited for them to bestow the last dose of public penance, but it was also clear that Rei was quickly becoming exhausted. Small bags were forming under her eyes, puzzling Minako. Rei wasn't known to fall asleep at parties, like Usagi or sometimes Ami, and it was hardly past 10 p.m. Rei tilted her head and furrowed her brow, questioning Minako's gaze. Minako quickly looked away, slightly embarrassed at having been caught analyzing the other girl, though she couldn't figure out why. There had been many occasions where she "appreciated" Rei's features and not once had Minako been the one embarrassed by it.

Usagi held out a boldly painted plastic case that was easily recognizable. To her surprise, it was one of her own singles she had, at the time, specifically deemed "lyrical genius and clever-ness beyond all means". Usually, it was sort of an unsaid rule that the girls, including herself, would veer away from singing Minako's own published songs. Her friends, other than Usagi of course, probably felt too shy to try attempting one of her songs while Minako simply didn't want to feel like she was still working; however, the idea didn't seem all that bad now. Rei had delivered onto her an overstuffed platter of discomfort, so having the always-so-reserved Rei Hino perform a teen pop song that practically worshipped Minako's, or rather Sailor Venus's, existence would surely provide a sweet and just dessert.

 _It's a good thing_ , she mulled, _that Artemis isn't around to berate me on being such a narcissist_.

Minkao and Usagi parted as Minako coyly handed Rei the case. Rei shifted uncomfortably, deciphering Usagi's poorly written "C'est la vie" scrawled atop the smooth surface.

"Sing for me, Reiko." Minako smiled ever so sweetly and hoped Rei was choking on it or, minimally, feeling the same crushing anxiety she had been feeling all night. Oh, how she hated this strange game of social dominance they played… _If that's true though, then why does it feel so good to keep playing?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I really adored writing this chapter and I'm so thankful to all of you who are supporting this story. See you all next Friday!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven:**

Really, it was quite the sight to behold and Minako was shamelessly drinking it in almost as much as she was her beverage. Rei's cheeks and the bridge of her nose were stained a wonderful shade of pink, and what's more is that Rei probably thought she was doing a grand job at hiding it by casting her gaze down to "examine" the small strings sticking out from her jean's belt loops. Oh God, how is it possible she hadn't come up with this idea sooner. _As a matter of fact,_ the idol relished, _it should be fucking mandatory at every single karaoke party we have for now on._

"So are you gonna do it?" Usagi was leaning so far forward in her seat, Minako was afraid she'd have to save her from another face plant.

Suddenly Rei didn't seem so interested in her pant's loose threads anymore; now she was far more interested at throwing both Usagi and Minako the dirtiest look the pretentious girl could manage. "How is that request even fair?"

"What do you mean?" Minako covered her mouth in feigned shock and concern, but really she just didn't trust herself not to smile. _Apparently, somebody isn't a fan of the old adage "all's fair in love and war"…_

Rei was clearly having problems forming a reputable argument against the idea of singing one of Minako's songs. Minako could see the woman's aura shaking and flaring with nervousness and she had to, once again, stifle a giggle. How is it possible for Rei to remain positively stoic on the battlefield when facing absurdly powerful enemies, and yet a little karaoke frightens the shit out of her?

"Ha! I don't blame you for not wanting to." Makoto piped in. "Mina, nobody wants to sing your songs in front of you. It's too much pressure!"

Rei smiled appreciatively at Makoto whereas Minako was delivering her own scowl in response. "But that was forever ago! It's not up for a vote anyways! Per the rules, she has to go through with it…" Suddenly struck with a bright idea, Minako stood and snatched the mic out of Rei's hand, who looked positively confused at her acts of bravado. "Unless, you feel like you _can't_ sing it. If that's the case, then I'll sing it for you."

Rei no longer attempted to avoid eye contact with Minako; quite contrary, she was being aggressively stared down now by Rei. Minako could see again how Rei's aura still flared but it was no longer from embarrassment, but instead anger and it excited her to no end. Minako, for lack of a better phrase, loved tempting fire and she relished in the effects of pushing those little buttons that would set Rei off. On top of that, she also immensely enjoyed seeing how far she could stretch the other girl's patience while edging her closing and closer to her limits. Unfortunately, there were times, seldom as they were, where she went too far, awarding her weeks' worth of silent treatments or shrine duties to express her apologies. _I guess I pushed her a little_ _ **too**_ _much that last time…_ Minako thought, remembering that she had successfully managed to earn herself four years' worth of silent treatments _._

"Neh? Should I finish what you started, Rei-chan?" Minako pushed just a little harder, enjoying how the other girl's eyes flashed at her.

"Stop egging her on, Mina." Ami quietly warned, probably seeing the signs of Rei's rage better than what her tipsy self was managing to spot.

Minako decided to end her relentless teasing; after all, Minako didn't want to sing the song, having much preferred the idea of hearing Rei sing it to her. Shrugging her shoulders, the idol held the mic before Rei, handle first, dangling the offer. As expected, Rei snatched it out of her hand with far more force than necessary, but instead of retaliating negatively, Minako simply sashayed her way back towards the couch, ready to enjoy the upcoming performance to its absolute fullest. The peppy music began playing just as Minako reached her seat, and once again, Rei was avoiding her gaze at all costs, jaw still clenched in obvious frustration.

Rei began singing, and though Minako didn't necessarily find it bad… It sort of resembled the tone of a lecture. " ' _Stirred by impulses that there's nothing I can do… That has begun for me now, feelings searching for you.'_ "

"Hey! This isn't a seminar!" Minako called out. Rei met her with a narrowed glare and this time Minako couldn't help but grin madly in return. "If you keep cheating me of my turn, I'll have you singing all night!"

Though Rei's enthusiasm increased slightly, most of the first quarter of the song continued much the same until Usagi's patience also couldn't handle the lack of enthusiasm. "You can do better than that, Rei-chan!" The girl started, but then her eyes lit up. "I'll help you!" And so Usagi did just that. Usagi jumped up, slung her arm around an unexpected Rei's waist, and began singing into the mic alongside her.

The sight before her thrilled Minako, watching Rei once again shoved up against edges of her comfort zone, but she did feel a little disappointed. Though she was glad Usagi was brave enough to push Rei into allowing herself some fun, there were pieces of her that were sad that she couldn't take on that role herself. She knew Rei's pride would get in the way if she had so much as gotten within a foot of her personal space, thus probably effectively causing Rei to either shut… down or experience a melt down… Nonetheless, Minako still wanted to be the one who could stand so close to Rei without added animosity.

" ' _Just like predictable movies and books are boring… When life is a little bit off, it might be more fun_.' " Both girls sang into the mic and Rei was now visibly relaxing, probably having a hard time trying not to laugh at Usagi's enthusiasm for the teen hit. Minako smiled… Usagi could have that effect on people… even grumpy pyros.

"Yeah, girl, you got it now!" Makoto encouraged, clapping hands along with Ami.

"C'mon now! Here's the chorus! Make it count." Minako shouted enthusiastically while simultaneously pumping her fist in the air.

Then, without a beat of hesitation, both princess and pyro burst into the chorus. " ' _This warm feeling is c'est la vie! As long as I am me… C'est la vie, I want to keep on being in love with you! Running through the place where this moment lives… Right in front of me…'_ "

It was at that moment, with the singing and drinks and her friends…having all of it combined, when Minako could no longer tell if she was drunk because of her choice of beverage, or if she was simply drunk on bliss; either way, she was feeling _really_ good – comparable to how she felt on stage when her audience's wild auras were dancing about. What was apparent, amongst her lit up six sense, was the realization that having Rei in her living room had brought, along with some other unflattering emotions, a sense of completion to her life that she didn't even remembered missing. Yeah, there were small details that still bothered her – like how Rei's bangs had grown past the corner of her eyes symbolizing that time had passed in which Rei chose to live her life away from everyone, but Minako was slowly getting over it as she watched the scene unfold. _It could have been worse_ , Minako silently reasoned with herself, _our Rei-chan could have came back to us even more socially inept that what she already is... or maybe she could have never came back at all._

Usagi had them both hopping in sync with the uppity beat, making both women resemble the many high school kids that attended her concerts. Minako had to bite her lip to keep from grinning; she was so scared if Rei caught her laughing, she would immediately retreat back into her shell. Around the second or third chorus, both Ami and Makoto joined in, both obviously being swept away by the happy energy pouring off of Usagi and Rei. Makoto had taken to twirling Usagi and the two were partaking in a rather strange waltz. More conservative, Ami and Rei were sharing the mic, Ami softly giggling when she botched the occasional lyric. Minako returned her attention to Rei and took pleasure in seeing that Rei didn't miss a single beat or need to reference the lyrics shinning on the screen; Minako made a mental note to call her out about that later. The song eventually eased to a stop and all four girls were out of breath, laughing at the silliness that ensued.

Minako stood and applauded all of their performance, "The best rendition I've ever seen!"

At hearing Minako cheering, Usagi attempted a bow, but took a little too deep of a dip, forcing Makoto to use her quick reflexes to snatch the clumsy blonde back up before she could take another fatal dive. The room erupted in laughter again. Contrary to what she was feeling earlier, Minako, now, never wanted the night to end, but, as they say, nothing lasts forever. Once the laughter died down, Rei excused herself whereas the other three women poured over the musical choices they had at their disposal. Rei's apology session was complete and they all felt pretty certain she was done singing for the night. It was now everyone else's turn to perform at their leisure. Ensuring that none of her friends would notice her sneak out, Minako decided to tail the Rei, but by the time she caught up, Rei had already entered the powder room, leaving Minako standing in the hallway with only her thoughts for company.

Leaning against the wall and staring at the ceiling, Minako reminisced over her friends' silly antics. It was nice, having everyone together and smiling for the first time in ages. There was no doubt that each senshi brought their own little quirks and personality, completing their inner circle, so when Rei had disappeared… Well, there was a hole that needed filling, and if the other senshi were anything like her, they had tried filling it with work and hobbies… maybe lovers… Shaking her head, Minako avoided thinking about what that last option said about her own coping methods and instead focused on her current excitement. Rei was home. She was safe and laughing, here with her family. They were _whole_ again.

The door snapped open and Minako jumped at its suddenness, accidently banging her right elbow against the wall and making a thumping sound that seemed to echo. Rei, too, seemed surprised. She raised her eyebrows high as she always did when Minako confused the hell out of her. Minako noticed small drops of water speckled across her black hairline which was contrasting sharply with Rei's unusually pale skin and she wondered if Rei was feeling ok. Instead of asking, Minako chose to not bring it up, figuring Rei would scoff if she tried to question her. Feeling stupid, she just stared at her, realizing she didn't know exactly why she had followed Rei to begin with, other than just acting on instinct; so, she went with the first thing that came to mind.

"A marvelous performance… I could use a backup singer, if you're interested, Reiko."

Rei only rolled her eyes, which slightly concerned Minako. She was fully expecting a scoff, glare, or equally infuriating comeback. "So you're willing to talk to me now?" Rei stated more than asked.

"Haven't I been talking all night?" Minako egged on, feeling incredibly playful and still running on her high from earlier.

To her dismay; however, Rei shook her head. She was being entirely serious and Minako was beginning to feel self-conscience, no longer feeling quite so buzzed and confident. "That's not what I meant." Rei continued softly, "Are you ready to talk about what happened?"

Minako didn't have to ask; she knew what Rei was referencing and already her stomach was turning, except this time anger and frustration weren't coming to her emotional rescue. Realization hit, and Minako started having trouble meeting Rei's eyes. She nervously began chewing her bottom lip. By simply grazing along the edges of the memory, her heart raced. Minako was very much afraid, maybe even terrified, of having this conversation with Rei.

Minako gulped and pretended to examine the tips of her hair for dead ends. "Well, what about it?"

Now, it was Rei who started shifting, completely throwing Minako for a loop. They looked like two middle school kids confronting each other about a rumor. "I uh…" Rei paused, and Minako guessed she was either trying to choose her words carefully or was at a loss of words completely. "I don't remember."

"You don't remember what you wanted to talk about?" Minako completely dropped the act of checking out her hair and deadpanned, feeling pretty annoyed that Rei had pushed so hard to have this conversation and was backing out now.

"No," Rei said in mild frustration, "I have no recollection of what happened that night and would like to discuss it."

Minako was downright giddy after hearing this news. _Oh, Kami-sama,_ _you have answered my prayers!_ Oh how she had wished that the entire incident had never happened, and here it was confirmed! Well… not exactly. Yes, the unpleasantries had occurred, but if Rei didn't remember it then she didn't have to worry about confronting it! All this time, she was scared to death – going over and over in her head how to break the news to the prone to anger pyro that she had managed to kiss and slap her all within about a half hour time frame. A weight had been lifted off of her and Minako made a mental note to find a way to give thanks to the powers that be. Rei was still waiting patiently for her answer.

"Nothing much really happened." Minako attempted nonchalantly.

Unfortunately, Rei cocked her head to the side and remained silent. She was becoming suspicious, being able to sense a change in atmosphere or something along those mystical lines. Minako tried very hard to remain calm, assuring herself that Rei's talents were not like her own. The priestess had superb intuition, it's true, but it was not how Minako was able to taste emotions. The real question was how well her fiendish friend could spot a lie.

Trying to recover from her earlier blunder, Minako pressed. "We just had an argument. Like that's anything new, right?" She flashed a good-natured smile, but it was not returned. "Look, I barely remember it." _Lie. Lie. Lie…_

Slowly, Rei's gaze was not boring into her so hard anymore; she just looked fatigued and Minako felt instantly responsible. "What aren't you telling me?" Rei whispered, more to herself than to anyone else, and Minako wondered if she was trying to pull whatever energy she had left to use her third eye.

In the end, Minako couldn't continue to lie for her own benefit. She wanted so badly to move on, to spill the beans, but at the same time, her fear had become like a physical barricade, one so tall that she didn't feel like she could hurdle over. "Look, I'm telling the truth. We did have an argument… of sorts. I'd just really prefer not to go into details is all." The fear had returned and now she couldn't stop furiously clawing at her cuticles. Rei must have noticed as well, because she immediately grabbed her hand. Minako was drawn to their conjoined hands taking up space between them.

"Mina, please." Rei's voice was shaking, and Minako almost drown in those watery purple eyes. "What did I do?"

Minako's heart clenched and she almost choked on the wave of fear coming off of Rei, a fear that was mirroring her own. This was not what she intended at all. It was she who had imposed and advanced and assaulted the other girl. Sure, Rei said some nasty things and was acting a little crazy, but Rei had an excuse. Her grandfather just died. What was Minako's excuse, other than just losing control of her temper? _There is no excuse!_ The idol furiously berated herself for the millionth time since the incident occurred.

"N-no! You didn't do anything!" Minako took a deep breath to calm her nerves and gently removed her hand from between Rei's warm palms. "I get that you want to talk about it, but I don't. Sorry…"

Minako wasn't able to look at Rei anymore, but she could guess that Rei was hurt at the firm dismissal. "Why are you being so difficult?" Rei stated, clearly feeling exasperated and aggravated. "Ever since I walked through the door, you've either snubbed me or snapped at me, and now you want to suddenly pretend that everything's just fine?

"And why can't everything just be fine?" Minako bit out before thinking.

"I didn't say—"

"You're the one wanting to dredge up old memories, so I'd say that would mean that it's you who's being difficult." Minako continued on, not giving Rei a chance to respond.

As Rei started to speak, Minako braced herself for whatever verbal onslaught was surely coming her way; however, Rei either thought better of it or had finally given into the exhaustion that was seemingly tugging at her all night. "I understand." She said cordially, but coldly. "I won't inconvenience you."

With that, Rei briskly walked past her, leaving her standing alone and feeling slightly hollow. Minako returned to the party area, and instead of being greeted by more singing senshi, she found Ami and Makoto cleaning up the liquor and CD cases. Usagi was snoring softly on the sofa, her back turned to them all with a cushion shoved beneath her head and the other cuddled against her bosom. Rei was nowhere to be found. Minako's heart raced at having not located her; had she angered Rei so much that she had left again without saying goodbye?

"She's out on the deck." Ami said quietly, having read her thoughts. "You may want to leave her be."

Nodding in full agreement, Minako changed the subject, "I see this one didn't last long." She said, swiping Usagi's feet aside so she may take a seat on the sofa. Instead of curling up; however, Usagi just placed her feet on Minako's lap instead.

Makoto finished fitting the almost infinite plastic cases back into the chest Minako had earlier fished out for the party. "Well, I see you two didn't waste any time."

"Hmm?" Minako responded as she mildly entertained herself by watching Usagi's toes twitch as she poked at them.

"We heard you both." Makoto explained. "It's as if you two arguing with one another is as necessary as the air you breathe."

"And what if it is?" Minako was still feeling sore about her interactions with Rei.

Before Makoto could shoot off a smart reply of her own, Ami stepped in. "Careful…"

Minako sighed and motioned apologetically to Makoto who was kind enough to reciprocate the feeling. Pleased, Ami returned to her cleaning duties.

"I'm not feeling too fond of her right now either." Makoto admitted, which shocked Minako a good bit. Makoto had been in good spirits all night; never once had her true feelings shone through. Probably sensing this Makoto continued. "I'm thrilled she's here, don't get me wrong… but there's a bitterness too, ya know? It's going to take some time and all I wanted to say was that pushing her away isn't going to make things better by a long shot."

"It's not like I _meant_ to upset her." Minako chose to ignore the skeptical looks both her friends cast her way. "I just can't give her what she wants right now…" Strangely enough, Minako honestly didn't know what Rei wanted. Did she truly just want a retelling? Exactly how much had she forgotten, and moreover, when Minako admits to her portion of fault… how would Rei take it? Would an apology be enough? What if she decides to leave again? What if she cuts her out again?

Makoto nodded her head, considering the matter. "So what's so bad about it that you can't tell her?"

"It was by far, not my finest moment." Minako grimly replied.

Understanding that was as far as the conversation was going to go, Makoto relented in her questioning, and started stretching, releasing whatever tension she was feeling. "Alright. I just hope you two find a way to work things out."

Minako wanted to tell Makoto to not hold her breath waiting, but decided a more optimistic approach was needed more right now. "I'm sure we'll figure something out." Minako said brightly.

Makoto had then decided to, thankfully, change the subject and discuss catering dates, confirming details with Minako, who had to employ more effort than what it should have taken to keep up with the conversation. Minako's mind was sluggish from the night's events and she had more than occasionally drifted away from the conversation, unable to keep from recalling every interaction she had with Rei. It was a delight, being able to see Rei laugh so carefree, and, Minako thought guiltily, seeing that familiar spark of fire ignite when picked on.

Makoto's hearty laugh broke her thoughts. "Well, I guess that's our cue."

"Huh?" Minako felt dumb, wishing she had paid more attention to the conversation at hand.

"You're totally spacing out, Mina!" Makoto accused, though it was all in good form.

Minako felt bad; looking back, she had been a horrible hostess all night. She tried to focus on the catering details. "I'm sorry. Say it again. The red bean rolls were a huge hit last time and –"

Makoto waved her off. "It's fine. Today's been… heavy, yeah?" Minako was incredibly thankful at how understanding she was. "Ami, can you help me with her?" She motioned at the sleeping Usagi.

Ami quickly complied and, rather expertly, woke and coordinated Usagi off of the sofa, so that now, she was leaning heavily against the Makoto.

"Mako-cha-an." Usagi slurred, still clutching a pillow to her chest with her free arm. "You so stro-o-ng…" Minako quickly came to terms that she would probably never see the pillow again.

After briefly overlooking Makoto and Usagi's status, Ami scrounged up Usagi's belongings and slid out onto the darkened deck to retrieve Rei.

"You sure I can't call you a cab?" Minako asked, feeling very concerned for Makoto who was desperately trying to avoid staring at Usagi's drool being absorbed by her blouse.

"Nope, I got it." Makoto answered with a gruff as she attempted to keep Usagi from sliding down further. Usagi's arm was slung around Makoto's neck and Makoto was using her left hand to grasp Usagi's wrist tightly while her right hand was gripping the back of the girl's waistband to keep her standing. To say it bluntly, they looked like a tangled mess.

Before Minako could protest, Ami had returned, but without Rei in tow. Minako shot a questioning gaze. "Don't tell me she jumped just to get away from me."

Yeah, it was an inappropriate joke, but Minako was more than satisfied watching the corner of Ami's lips twitch, fighting a smile. "Thankfully, no." Ami continued gathering what last remained of both Makoto and Usagi's things. "She's sleeping."

"Oh…" Minako stated dumbly, feeling like she was missing something important. Without skipping a beat, both Makoto, with a soon to be terribly hung-over Usagi in tow, and Ami made their way towards the foyer. "So, should I wake her and call her a ride or…"

"No." The doctor said, simply, but Minako could have sworn it was more of an order than just an answer. Fortunately, Ami elaborated. "She hasn't had a proper night's sleep in who knows how long, and I think it's starting to take a toll on her."

"Hey, you didn't mention that earlier." Makoto immediately returned her focus to what the doctor was saying, her concern mirroring Minako's own.

"From what she's told me, it's just some migraines. I don't believe she's experiencing anything that actual rest can't cure, and she just simply hasn't had the opportunity to do so, until now."

"And why hasn't she been able to rest?" Minako's worries weren't eased, even though Ami seemed confident with her diagnosis of Rei's condition.

"You mean other than having to room up with both Usagi and small lady?" Ami continued her calm explanation. "It was only this morning that she drove in from Kazuno. I didn't really focus on asking her details about her itinerary… but when I spoke with her earlier today, she looked even more out of it than what she did all night."

"So you don't think it's anything serious, yeah?" Makoto asked, voicing what they both feared.

Ami shook her head, exuberating confidence again, "The worse I think it could be is insomnia, and there's medication for that if need be."

"Good luck with that." Minako said, feeling better because of Ami's reassurance, "She's not exactly fond of medicine."

"Well, we can just take turns crushing it into her evening tea or something." Ami stated briskly, and Minako briefly wondered if Ami had a negative opinion on Rei's preferred ointments and healing processes.

"Ami, you devil!" Makoto teased. "You better watch hanging out with Minako too much!"

Both Minako and Ami stuck their tongues out at the Makoto who simply flashed them a brilliant grin in response before stepping through the door Ami was now holding open for her. The two remaining girls said they're usual goodbyes, but right as Ami was about to leave the flat, Minako felt Ami hesitating in the open doorway.

"Neh…Mina…" Ami was still turned away from her, one hand resting on the door frame.

"Yeah?" Minako asked, curious as to what would make Ami act this way. "What's up?"

"It's not really my place to say…" There was a bit of a pause that stretched a little too long, but eventually Ami turned to face her. "We all have things we'd rather forget, and sometimes, that's ok. But other times… If we forget what wounds us, then we won't remember that the wound still needs to be healed."

It seemed like she wanted to say more, but Ami left those last words hanging in the air and Minako was once again reminded that all, indeed, not well. Was her friend telling her that she was not the only one who needed healing? That maybe Rei was searching for a cure too? If that was the case, then Minako had no choice but to fess up and claim responsibility for everything that had happened; she would not be responsible for hurting Rei again, no matter how scared she was of confronting her.

"I understand." Minako stated solemnly, realizing that maybe running from her fears wasn't the healthiest decision for either her or Rei.

Ami analyzed her for a bit more, before nodding in acknowledge. "I hope so." She said softly, before gently shutting the door behind her.

After locking the door and hearing the bolt's satisfying click, Minako returned to the now tidied living room, but not before snatching the bottle of vodka she had monopolized all night. Minako took her seat on the chair Ami was earlier occupying, giving her an unobstructed view of the sliding glass door, which led out onto the deck that Rei was currently snoozing on. Minako bravely took a swig of vodka pressing the rim of the cold bottle to her lips and squinted her eyes against the sting she felt against her tongue and throat. Yeah, she was possibly finding courage in all the wrong places, but she was sure as hell done with this hellish cat and mouse game her and Rei had been playing.

She was going to spill the beans to Rei as soon as she walked through the door, and if the girl did manage to sleep out there all night… Well, at least Minako was going to have plenty of time to think about what to say, because right now, it was all she could manage to keep from hearing that dreadful sharp clapping sound from when her hand flew across Rei's cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, we are looking at wrapping this whole confrontation up next chapter and then finally moving on some more plot development!


End file.
